What is the most dreadful job interview comment? Other than the usual centered around women and a family (still legal in Germany, believe it or not), age, and where do you see yourself five years from now.
The modern job interview in all its strange forms is a never ending source of wonderment for this blogster. We have all these books and guidelines that would easily make the support structure for a space elevator if you stack them, and glue them together, of course. Yet, most of the time it seems to be a dating excercise, a sales pitch, a sausage factory deal or a sausage fest.
Then there is the dreadful "overqualified". It comes in a fairly nice form, such as, "don't you think you might be somewhat overqualified for this position" and a nasty one, despite the obligatory sorry: "sorry, you are overqualified".
True, there is a small chance that you have the wrong impression of a job. Which usually happens when an excited manager fluffs up a job description into something TheEditor calls workplace porn, tantalizing, elusive, obviously unrealistic and airbrushed.
If I am underqualified, I really do want you to tell me because it is very likely that blame is all be mine. If I do not have the skills and knowledge, please tell me so I can improve my judgement for the next job opening.
If I am overqualified, on the other hand, I know it. I appreciate that you ask or let me know how you feel. But if I don't get a job because I am overqualified, what comes to mind is: you are lying or just fishing for an excuse, or you are overstepping.
Since this may sound harsh, let us put some nuance into it. There are some understandable reasons for rejecting that dreamboat candidate. If the person has better qualifications than the future manager, for instance. Or maybe some fear that the new hire will get bored quickly and move on after a few months. But at the end of the day, the blogster regards the "you are overqualified" as mostly condescending.
Next time you sit across from someone overqualified, try to ask the nice form of the question if you can muster the courage.
That's the least you can do before you end the conversation with a friendly don't call us anyway.
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