HireCentrix - ViewPoint

Should Over-qualified Be Hired?

Kevin Burns

QUESTION: I currently have several positions open, and the job descriptions clearly outline the experience necessary. I'm drowning in applications from overqualified people. However, I fear that if I hire overqualified applicants, they will leave as soon as a better job comes along. So I prefer to hire candidates ready to move up or laterally. Is it worth considering overqualified candidates? Or can we add something to the job description to improve our applicant pool?

ANSWER: I think you might be looking at this problem the wrong way. Chances are your company has always advertised with a "Now Hiring" notice and people respond – even those over-qualified or severely under-qualified. I think you might actually be making more work for yourself than necessary.

It is difficult to not be swayed by a candidate's experience on a résumé. But when you post a "Now Hiring" notice in a high-unemployment market, you are going to be deluged with people who are overqualified because they feel that there is a better likelihood of getting the job than the person who is under-qualified.

But here's the problem with basing your interview decisions on looking only at résumés. A résumé indicates what your past boss allowed you to do – not what you were good at or kept you engaged.

Experience, although it might be plentiful, is no indicator of character, teamwork or productivity – or loyalty for that matter. Experience also doesn't address one's willingness to learn new things, to adapt and to lend a hand to help others when they need it. You should never consider giving more weight to the résumé from someone who, although highly experienced, only came to you in response to an ad.

The first place you should be looking for the best candidates is in the applications you received BEFORE you advertised your job openings. Those who applied before the openings have demonstrated that they have taken an active interest in your company are willing to do what is necessary to feed their families and for self-preservation. They took action during adversity (unemployment). That speaks far louder than any amount of experience and should be considered higher up than experience. It is also very likely that if they took an interest in working for you before there was an opening, they are far more likely to commit to you for the long-term.

In fact, here's the order you should be considering your candidates in if you want to ensure that they choose to be loyal instead of taking the first outside opportunity that comes along:

Character first.
Experience second.
Schooling, third and last.

71% of North American workers are NOT actively engaged in their work. Only 29% are actively engaged. It's that 29% that you want to tap into and attract more of them in your workplace. So look for the signs of those who would likely be better engaged in their work. In my books, character = engagement. I've never seen an engaged worker without character.

Here is a three-part action plan for your job openings:

(This is an important first step.) Pull your "Help Wanted" ad off the market. This may seem counter-intuitive but it's not. It's strategic. Your ad is attracting people who were not bothering to seek employment with you prior to your openings. They responded only because you posted an ad. In a tight labor market, you can afford to be picky about who you hire. With that in mind, first look to the list of people who applied to you BEFORE you advertised the job. They are the real self-starters and ones who showed an interest in your company before you opened it up to anyone with an impressive résumé Once you sift through the old applications, if nothing of quality comes up (character – not experience), then reconsider posting the ad, but in a different way (outlined in next step).
Consider turning the jobs into time-limited projects for the short-term. Most unemployed job-seekers are happy to participate in full-paying short-term projects to keep their skills sharp and you don't have to worry about keeping a dud down the road. You get to feel each other out and make sure you're both comfortable with the fit. If you find a good one, make them a serious offer. Consider this as a baseball training-camp walk-on try-out. You may want to keep some in the job. Some you may want to move to another department/job because they are better suited for it. Some will simply not work out and you will not renew their term-employment. It's OK. They knew that was possible right from the beginning.
Put some metrics on the project or the short-term position. Ensure that there is a benchmark to start and goals/targets that must be met. Advertise that they are term-positions with a possibility of extending the term at the end of the contract. This way, you give people an opportunity to show their character, their diligence and their aptitude (all adding up to engagement) without the need for a long-term commitment and there's little chance of people quitting right after you've trained them. Some will rise to the occasion. Some won't bother. Some will shine. Some will fail. Some will stay. Some will leave. Those that stay will do so because they want to. Those that leave will do so with more work experience added to their résumés.

This is a win-win for both you and the employee. This strategy sets you up to choose the best candidate based on character, aptitude, courtesy, diligence and teamwork – all of the things you want in a really good, loyal employee who won't jump ship the moment something "better" comes along. This strategy will also help in feeling overwhelmed by who has more experience and more stuff on their résumé After all, you can't tell anything about character and values and a willingness to stay for the long-haul from a résumé or an interview. You learn that on the job. What you are looking for is a long-term fit instead of a short-term hire.

------------------------

Biography

Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert, has a vision: "To transform workplaces, one by one by one, to make them Radically Functional." He's not trying to change the world, just the workplace.

As a speaker, management consultant and seven-time author, Kevin Burns works with managers, front-line supervisors AND the people they manage offering workplace engagement strategies and practical advice on communication, HR, management, motivation/culture and corporate safety performance challenges. Not always HR's best friend, Kevin Burns puts every department under the microscope. No one gets a free pass. It's time to get serious and "Make It Work!"

Make It Work! with Kevin Burns at: http://www.kevburns.com