Overqualified
Karl is at the end of his PhD – and has applied for a position that is advertised for MSc graduates with no professional experience. “Why do you think this is a suitable position for you?” I want to know. “Well, I’ve heard that this employer is drowning in applications despite the shortage of skilled workers.”
Applications as an overqualified person are challenging to write.
About half of the participants in our workshop think Karl could be successful with his tactic. Nevertheless, there are objections: “Wouldn’t they still have to pay you the salary of a PhD holder?” asks Maurice. “And would you even be an attractive candidate?” asks Julia.
Being overqualified reduces Karl’s attractiveness to the employer instead of increasing it. The employer will ask herself: Will Karl get bored after a few months and apply for another position? In this case, the entire recruitment and training process would have been for nothing. The employer will also consider whether the candidate is a fearful character.
The shortage of skilled workers has now reached the chemical industry. For most applicants, there is no reason to sell oneself short. There are only a few exceptions where applying for a lower level makes sense: If you had a significant career break, are moving abroad, or are an unusually good fit for the position – apart from your qualification level.
Applications as an overqualified person are challenging to write. How do you ease the employer’s fear that you will quickly leave again and be perceived as appropriately ambitious? Show the employer what appeals to you about the position and what you can learn despite being overqualified. How does this fit in with your previous professional decisions? Can you use this to paint a picture of an employee who can temporarily step back into the ranks and still – or precisely because of this – provide valuable services to the team? Outline a growth perspective for your professional future that fits in with your past and shows the employer that you will be happy to do the position for at least some time.
By the way: Whether the employer has to pay you according to your qualifications depends on whether they are subject to the collective agreement (Tarifvertrag). This is usually only the case with larger companies; with smaller ones, it is a matter of negotiation.
This article was first published in Nachrichten aus der Chemie (issue 02-2024). See here the German original.
If you´re interested in the job application process, you might be interested in our workshop Job application and interview strategies.