Under-qualified, overqualified… what’s a candidate to do?

Image by jaqian via Flickr

In a few short years the employment market has been turned on its head. From a position that was biased in favour of candidates during the halcyon days when the Celtic Tiger roared, job seekers today find themselves facing an employment market that’s very much skewed towards the employer.

With a broader selection of  candidates employers can afford to be choosy, and more demanding. It’s not unusual today for employers to include a long list of requirements in their job descriptions, things like a certain amount of experience in a particular industry sector, knowledge of an obscure programming language and fluency in a particular language. With so many people applying for every job advertised at the moment there’s a fairly good chance they’ll tick all of their boxes.

It’s a frustrating dilemma for countless candidates who know they could do a particular job, but fall short on one or two of the listed criteria. At the other end of the scale you’ll find the equally frustrated, highly educated and / or experienced candidates who find themselves overqualified for the jobs available. Employers are wary, perhaps with good reason, that while these individuals are happy to accept the job in the current climate, they’ll quickly abandon their post in search of greener pastures when the economy picks up.

So how can you beat the odds and convince  a company to hire you under- or overqualified for the job?

• Make it personal: if your only contact with your prospective employer is a faceless electronic application you’re out of luck. Faced with hundreds of applications, HR professionals will narrow the field ruthlessly based on the criteria specified in the job description. Your only hope is to make a contact inside the organisation — scour your network, and ask for an introduction. If you’re introduced to the person doing the hiring by someone they know, that establishes a foundation of trust you can build on.
• Highlight your transferable skills: don’t be bashful… when you get that introduction play to your strengths, and explain how successes and skills from your former work are directly transferable to the position you’re applying for.
• Show you’re a team player: if you have direct contact with the hiring manager, you can use your interaction with them to demonstrate how co-operative, affable and flexible you are… any employer will value someone they know will slot into their team without disruption. This is particularly important if you’re over-qualified.
• Keep it real: however alluring it may be, given the circumstances, don’t be tempted to lie on your CV, either to boost your skills and experience or to play them down. Tell the truth — you can be as creative as you like in the way you interpret it… but don’t falsify or omit significant information in your application. Doing so could be grounds for dismissal if you end up getting the job.