The Surprising Benefits Of Overqualified Hires

No matter the position in question, companies will typically narrow down their candidates to a handful of individuals, some of whom seem ideal for the position upon being interviewed. Of course, the objective of any hiring campaign is to find the right candidate for the job – someone with the perfect amount of experience and a skill set that is applicable to the work itself. While this may be the case for many candidates, sometimes individuals will turn out to be too good to be true – this, in other words, is what’s known as an overqualified candidate.

Because just about any hire will impact a company – whether this is true for good or bad reasons – it’s important to be certain about who you’re welcoming into a corporate family. While there are teams available to help you determine just what constitutes an overqualified or underqualified hire – you, for instance, could look to the renowned team at IQ Partners whose members offer rigorous and dedicated services when it comes to finding the best team members for your company. In the meantime, however, the following will outline a few things to keep in mind while you’re on the hunt for the ideal candidate – but perhaps not too ideal.

The Rewards Of Having An Overqualified Candidate On Your Team 

Indeed, a talented hire is easy to train, especially if they are very experienced in their field. There’s no need to micromanage a candidate who knows what they’re doing, thereby boosting productivity for you and your team. The upshot of this is that you won’t be cleaning up the messes made by someone experiencing “first day” woes. Additionally, overqualified team members have excellent leadership skills and could easily mentor their peers, with little to no qualms. They offer more expertise than you initially bargained for as a hiring committee and are likely open to taking on new challenges as a result – some of which you, yourself, would not have anticipated. There are, however, downsides to overqualified hires that ought to be accounted for.

Overqualified Can Pose Risks To A Company 

Individuals who are too talented from the outset could be prone to abusing their advantage. This is to say, they might only see their new position as a placeholder to coast through until they land a role for which they feel truly worthy. This might involve the expectation that they are deserving of a higher salary with more frequent raises than other employees. Moreover, their sole intention may be to get promoted within the company, as opposed to taking pride in their current position; this may lead to conflicts amongst team members, as well as those in managerial positions. So too can it detract from morale, demotivating themselves and those around them. To be sure, these are nightmarish scenarios that are, to an extent, unrealistic for most people. It really comes down to the individual and their personality, in cases like this. You might, then, want to wait and see if over-qualification is, in fact, a vice, given the reward these risks can incite.

Indeed, there are shocking benefits when it comes to hiring an overachiever, and depending on the candidate, these benefits could outweigh the cons. The question of whether or not you should hire an overqualified candidate, in the end, is contingent on how much is riding on the immediate success of a new hire. In short, risk and reward situations like these should only be created if you’ve disposal resources at your side.