Can you be over qualified for a job?

Onesimus · 25-06-2014 08:30PM #1

Had a interview for a job today in the dunnes stores. My most recent job was quite a big one and I just felt the interviewer thought I was a little over qualified for the tasks at hand. In fact the way he was talking was as if he couldn't actually believe I was telling the truth. I don't wish to disclose my previous job but I've heard people say employers tend to avoid the over qualified as well as the under qualified and I'm terrified I won't get the job. I need any job I can get me hands on even if it's 20 euro more than I get on the dole I'd rather be doing ANYTHING even the lowest of lowest hardest jobs out there if it meant contributing to society not to mention being a role model for my boys and to keep me sanity.

I didn't see any employment threads and I did look so thought I'd take it here.

Stheno · 25-06-2014 08:32PM

Probably better to ask a mod to move this to work and jobs, but the answer you are looking for it yes.

tomwaterford · 25-06-2014 08:32PM

Onesimus wrote: »

Had a interview for a job today in the dunnes stores. My most recent job was quite a big one and I just felt the interviewer thought I was a little over qualified for the tasks at hand. In fact the way he was talking was as if he couldn't actually believe I was telling the truth. I don't wish to disclose my previous job but I've heard people say employers tend to avoid the over qualified as well as the under qualified and I'm terrified I won't get the job. I need any job I can get me hands on even if it's 20 euro more than I get on the dole I'd rather be doing ANYTHING even the lowest of lowest hardest jobs out there if it meant contributing to society not to mention being a role model for my boys and to keep me sanity.

I didn't see any employment threads and I did look so thought I'd take it here.

probily just assumred youd leave for a better job once one comes up

Conmaicne Mara · 25-06-2014 08:33PM

tomwaterford wrote: »

probily just assumred youd leave for a better job once one comes up

That would be my thinking too, less staff turn over if they think you will be staying a while.

dpofloinn · 25-06-2014 08:41PM

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

That would be my thinking too, less staff turn over if they think you will be staying a while.

Anyone that has ever worked for Dunne's can tell you that a high rate of staff turnover has never been considered an issue by Dunne's

To answer the OP's post if English is your first language then you are way over qualified by Dunne's standard

The Backwards Man · 25-06-2014 08:43PM

I'm a full time mad bastard.

But I'm just tooooo mad.

Conmaicne Mara · 25-06-2014 08:45PM

dpofloinn wrote: »

Anyone that has ever worked for Dunne's can tell you that a high rate of staff turnover has never been considered an issue by Dunne's

I was talking in general terms. An ex girlfriend had a position in Dunnes for a while and they tormented her.

Tail Docker · 25-06-2014 08:46PM

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I'm a full time mad bastard.

But I'm just tooooo mad.

It's very hard to find good, steady, middling mad lads, in fairness. They're gone scarce, what with emigration and all that.

dpofloinn · 25-06-2014 08:51PM

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

I was talking in general terms. An ex girlfriend had a position in Dunnes for a while and they tormented her.

Fair enough that is a concern for a company in general, when they have to invest time and money in training you up. In Dunne's however they hand you a uniform and let you off to pick it up as you go along, if you leave they just give a uniform to the next sucker who comes along and the cycle continues

Onesimus · 25-06-2014 08:51PM

It does make you wonder though why they would look at me CV and call me in for an interview in the first place if they saw it and felt I'd be over qualified ? I'm confused there. I guess I'm just sick because I went into me savings and bought a new suit for the whole interview but I guess there will be other interviews out there I can use it for so I'll consider it ( hopefully a short term ) investment when another opportunity presents itself.

dpofloinn · 25-06-2014 08:53PM

Was the position for management or floor staff?

Steven81 · 25-06-2014 08:54PM

In our workplace anyone with a third level qualification wont get an interview for an operators job, HR manager said a year ago she had to cut the number of cvs and that they would be too good for it and wouldnt stick it long term so why train them up.

Conmaicne Mara · 25-06-2014 08:56PM

dpofloinn wrote: »

Fair enough that is a concern for a company in general, when they have to invest time and money in training you up. In Dunne's however they hand you a uniform and let you off to pick it up as you go along, if you leave they just give a uniform to the next sucker who comes along and the cycle continues

Management seems to get treated the same way as floor staff tbh, not that equality is a good thing in that instance!

Onesimus · 25-06-2014 09:02PM

dpofloinn wrote: »

Was the position for management or floor staff?

He asked me what position I would be interested in and I said any position at all and that I would work at anything they had available. The text of their advert contained no level of position which is why I felt I was applying for anything at all really so I just threw the "Ill do anything you have available" line at them.

dpofloinn · 25-06-2014 09:05PM

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Management seems to get treated the same way as floor staff tbh, not that equality is a good thing in that instance!

Cant argue junior management are treated badly, but whats worse is that they are actively encouraged to f#@K each other and staff over

dpofloinn · 25-06-2014 09:07PM

Onesimus wrote: »

He asked me what position I would be interested in and I said any position at all and that I would work at anything they had available. The text of their advert contained no level of position which is why I felt I was applying for anything at all really so I just threw the "Ill do anything you have available" line at them.

In general they don't spend to much time looking at cv's they just take a random bunch from the pile and just get a name and number from the application and go from there

Jonny Blaze · 25-06-2014 09:10PM

Onesimus wrote: »

Had a interview for a job today in the dunnes stores. My most recent job was quite a big one and I just felt the interviewer thought I was a little over qualified for the tasks at hand. In fact the way he was talking was as if he couldn't actually believe I was telling the truth. I don't wish to disclose my previous job but I've heard people say employers tend to avoid the over qualified as well as the under qualified and I'm terrified I won't get the job. I need any job I can get me hands on even if it's 20 euro more than I get on the dole I'd rather be doing ANYTHING even the lowest of lowest hardest jobs out there if it meant contributing to society not to mention being a role model for my boys and to keep me sanity.

I didn't see any employment threads and I did look so thought I'd take it here.

That sucks op, I feel your pain.

Plenty of folks will have seen me whinging on numerous threads about similar troubles I've been having so I won't get into it here!

Keep trying though! Had an interview for a programming job and one tomorrow for a hotel night porter so fingers crossed that we both hear good news!

Can't come quick enough either way!

1huge1 · 25-06-2014 09:12PM

Yes you can most certainly be over qualified for a job, and despite what many people think, HR will be very put off by this as they think you will not stay with the company.

I also believe it is one of the reasons why Googles staff turnover is so high, everyone wants to work for them so they are able to pick the best of the lot who are often very over qualified for the work they end up doing.

Dravokivich · 25-06-2014 09:51PM

1huge1 wrote: »

Yes you can most certainly be over qualified for a job, and despite what many people think, HR will be very put off by this as they think you will not stay with the company.

I also believe it is one of the reasons why Googles staff turnover is so high, everyone wants to work for them so they are able to pick the best of the lot who are often very over qualified for the work they end up doing.

Google for the most part only give contracts upto 23 months anyway.

Tail Docker · 25-06-2014 09:54PM

I think "you're overqualified for the job" is HR code for "you will be a prima-donna pain in the hole if we ask you to stack shelves".

Jonny Blaze · 25-06-2014 10:05PM

Tail Docker wrote: »

I think "you're overqualified for the job" is HR code for "you will be a prima-donna pain in the hole if we ask you to stack shelves".

That's a bit mad though isn't it?

Surely the fact that you're applying in the first place means you're ready to do the work?

Stheno · 25-06-2014 10:07PM

Jonny Blaze wrote: »

That's a bit mad though isn't it?

Surely the fact that you're applying in the first place means you're ready to do the work?

If it's only a stop gap it will put them off

whiteandlight · 25-06-2014 10:12PM

dpofloinn wrote: »

Fair enough that is a concern for a company in general, when they have to invest time and money in training you up. In Dunne's however they hand you a uniform and let you off to pick it up as you go along, if you leave they just give a uniform to the next sucker who comes along and the cycle continues

I was put on customer service from the floor (hadn't even checkout training) with one days training. I was 17 and handling not only my own till but the change for all the checkouts and the bureau de change (this was before those air popper money systems). At christmas my float was 6k in my til, more than that again in the change at my feet and more again in the exchange. This is as well as handling phonecalls both internal and external, exchanges and the store announcements. I will never forget it. It was literally the worst experience of my life. The terror balancing each evening and just praying that I had kept everything straight....

Aongus Von Bismarck · 25-06-2014 10:16PM

Many candidates tend to focus exclusively on their qualifications, while totally ignoring the other range of competencies the potential employer is looking for in a candidate. A positive disposition and outgoing nature. A knowledge of the company the position is offered in and the industries they operate in. A myriad of factors.

It's something that is sadly lacking in many Irish graduates these days. We could get philosophical and put it down to a sense of entitlement that was fostered during the Celtic Tiger era. Or some change in the fabric of society that make many believe they are somehow 'entitled' to a job.

I've been working in Germany for a number of years now. There is a mentality here when it comes to find and excelling in work that is sorely lacking in many Irish people. It's an eagerness to take an opportunity, excel and develop as an employee. It's the fabled German work ethic, and it most certainly exists. We have back office operations based in the IFSC and dealing with them for even 10 minutes on the phone makes clear the enormous difference in mentality.

YFlyer · 25-06-2014 10:20PM

Do an intern as I bet you don't have the experience to stack shelves.

Jonny Blaze · 25-06-2014 10:26PM

Stheno wrote: »

If it's only a stop gap it will put them off

Ah no i get it alright, sure i used to be a recruitment consultant back in about 2005!

I've never fully understood it for low level work where you can basically be trained up in a couple of days though.

Shakespeare's Sister · 25-06-2014 10:32PM

It's reasonable for companies to fear that new hires who worked in better-paying jobs before that are just using this particular role as a stop-gap until something better comes along. So in that sense, yes, being over-qualified is a disadvantage.
But if you got to interview stage it doesn't seem as ominous.

Tail Docker · 25-06-2014 10:34PM

Jonny Blaze wrote: »

That's a bit mad though isn't it?

Surely the fact that you're applying in the first place means you're ready to do the work?

But, after you get comfy, you'll start getting "ideas". They don't want ideas, they want beans on shelves..

Jonny Blaze · 25-06-2014 10:48PM

Tail Docker wrote: »

But, after you get comfy, you'll start getting "ideas". They don't want ideas, they want beans on shelves..

Ha ha! Too true!

I do still think its a funny line of reasoning though.

I mean I'd rather hire someone who is obviously competent and capable of even more than the job requires for a short time than some scared kid who's just failed the leaving cert and may or may not give a bollocks about the job at all just he won't get ideas above his station.

No offence to whiteandlight above!

B.A._Baracus · 25-06-2014 11:12PM

"I think you are too qualified for the job" is code for "you'll easily toss this job here for something better... or you'll think this is beneath you and pack it in. So I think I will be wasting my time giving you a job"

Of course alot of people have taken any ol' job to pay the bills. But employers don't want to take the risk.

Can you be over qualified for a job?

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