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I think when someone tells a candidate he is "overqualified," that is also something of an indication of how things go at that company. A hiring decider often uses "overqualified" to mean "I'm afraid you'll find a better job and leave too soon and we'll have to start the hiring process all over again." But that can't be so much of a problem in a down market like this where any job is damn difficult to find, much less a better job. And that isn't so much of a problem at companies where employees like their work and the environment. Even in a good market, leaving for a better job is less of a consideration if you enjoy the current job and like the people. If the hiring decider fears you won't stick around long enough to give him a return on the time/money spent in the hiring process, it may be he realizes but doesn't like thinking the company has a tendency to give people incentive to look elsewhere.
"Overqualified" also sometimes translates as "we're afraid there would be personnel management problems because you'd embarrass the 2nd-raters we already have working here." If they start using "overqualified" *after* you interview, you can be certain this is the correct translation.
--- On Thu, 4/1/10, Dan Goldstein <DGoldstein -at- riverainmedical -dot- com> wrote:
> From: Dan Goldstein <DGoldstein -at- riverainmedical -dot- com>
> Subject: RE: How do hiring companies view TW resumes?
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Date: Thursday, April 1, 2010, 2:58 PM
> An update on this from the NYT:
>
>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/29/us/29overqualified.html
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Dan Goldstein
> > Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 2:31 PM
> > To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> > Subject: RE: How do hiring companies view TW resumes?
> >
> > AFAIK, "overqualified" rarely means, "Someone less
> qualified
> > than you would do a better job." It usually means, "We
> can't
> > afford to hire someone as qualified as you." At least
> they're
> > acknowledging how qualified you are.
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Bill Swallow
> > > Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 2:16 PM
> > > To:
> > > Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> > > Subject: Re: How do hiring companies view TW
> resumes?
> > >
> > > ... I've never heard "overqualified" more than I
> have in the past
> > > 15 months.
> > >
> >
>
>
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