Overqualified? Here’s How to Rock the Interview in 5 Ways

Rock the Interview Have you tired of hearing,“ Aren’t you overqualified for this job?” The key to acing this question is simply embracing it. You can’t undo your achievements.

Most recruiters can tell if you’re overqualified just by looking at your resume. Instead of fighting this interview question, ready your answer. It’s important to know how to handle this question the right way.

Once you know how to handle this question, your goal is to get your point across and convince the recruiter that you’re the right candidate for the job. But how are you going to pull this off?

Here are 5 ways to help you excel in answering the “overqualified” interview question:

1. Prove that you are a team player. You have managed overqualified people, you have seen how others acted badly on the job, and you’ve dealt with plenty of issues in between. Illustrate that you know how to be a team player for the company.

Learning from your past experiences has helped you gain perspective and humility — valuable traits in any job.

You’ve likely also observed a good number of overqualified people who have done great work in a variety of roles. Explain that you have the ability to emulate them; their behavior resulted in great success for the companies you’ve worked for.

2. State how ready you are to take on new challenges.

You’ve managed managers, and there may have been times that you didn’t have the chance to get out in the field. Tell the recruiter that you are once again willing to get your hands dirty and work on something that interests you, and work with different departments that you haven’t partnered with in a long time. These elements can help you maintain enthusiasm in your career, and prove how much you want to get back to work and be challenged all over again.

3. Convince the recruiter that you want to make your management team look good.

You’ve handled several people under your department or team, and you’d like to do an excellent job for your superior — you know the feeling of being a boss yourself. Get your point across that the company can benefit from your experience and that you will give it your all for the group’s productivity.

4. Demonstrate that you have the ability to know which actions to take under difficult circumstances.

Experience as a manager gives you an advantage in knowing how to be a good employer for your superior. Tell the recruiter how you can be that go-to employee for your boss. Knowing how to run a project and when to bring your superior in are traits that only come from experience, and that experience can help new teams do great work.

5. Demonstrate how passionate you are in fulfilling the roles of the job.

You can share your experiences in hiring people that weren’t the best match and may have focused on getting things done quickly rather than ensuring quality. Share how you can make a long-term contribution to the job with your knowledge of what attributes contribute to long-term growth.

It is your job to convince the recruiter how you suit the job perfectly, no matter how over (or under) qualified you are. Make sure to share experiences that will put you in a good light and illustrate that you would be a good match for the company. You’ll be considered if you’ve demonstrated how the company can benefit from what you’ve learned.

Read 4970 times Last modified on Wednesday, 10 February 2016 16:26
Alan Carniol

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 80,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.