Should I hire overqualified staff or under qualified?!

Should I hire overqualified staff or under qualified?!

When you’re faced with lots of job applications, do you shy away from the overqualified? Or do you embrace their experience and motivated attitude? Many recruiters are often quick to reject the overqualified, but we explain why that’s not necessarily the best course of action, particularly if you’re recruiting flexibly. 

Firstly, what qualities are you looking for?

When you’re recruiting, think about the qualities that really matter to you. Are you seeking someone who will be with the company a long time? Someone who you’d like to train and promote so that they become an asset to your business long-term? If so, an under-experienced candidate could help you achieve this.

However, if you’re looking for someone who will come in to fulfil a role where you’re missing essential key skills, (someone who can hit the ground running and prove themselves from day one), an overqualified person could well suit the role in question.

If you have a skills gap or feel you can’t commit to the job title in question because they will be too expensive, you should definitely consider an overqualified, flexible worker.

Great employees are keen employees – overqualified or not

We find that flexible job seekers are often returning to work after a break – perhaps they’ve had children in recent years or have been sick or caring for an elderly parent. They often still have commitments at home to juggle, which means finding the holy grail of jobs – a flexible, professional position that’s both local and suits the hours they want to work, whilst using their hard-won experience.

Flexible workers want to do rewarding work, using their skills and many roles don’t let them achieve this – they may seem overqualified to some employers but this needn’t be a barrier. Simply finding a flexible position is a massive piece of the job satisfaction puzzle.

It’s also one of the reasons why many of our Members aren’t registered elsewhere because they feel overlooked by the usual recruitment channels – flexible working isn’t advertised from the outset enough.

Will an overqualified person want my job?

One of the myths that exists around the overqualified is that they’ll be bored and end up chasing a more senior role long-term. It’s possible this myth exists because managers feel less threatened by employees who are deemed as less qualified than themselves. But what if you could learn from the employee without worrying about the pressure of having to promote them so quickly?

Flexible workers can offer you this – they aren’t necessarily after a more senior role or they wouldn’t be working fewer hours or part-time. And boredom doesn’t usually even cross their minds; they’re happy to be working as part of a team and using their skills in a useful way.  Before re-entering the workplace, candidates often  haven’t been in stimulating environments so a new place of work is paradise by comparison.

Get highly experienced workers for less

Flexible workers can offer businesses great value, simply because they are overqualified! Their experience means more gets done in the time they’re working, compared with less qualified staff.

As any of our happy clients will tell you, they’ve been able to get high calibre people at a fraction of the cost of a full-time member of staff – from solicitors to HR managers and accountants, flexible workers are a good fit for businesses seeking to grow and prosper.

So next time you’re throwing the overqualified out of your job application pile, think again. There’s a whole world of untapped talent out there, waiting to be discovered. If you’d like our help in finding it, please get in touch.

We look forward to hearing from you.