Applicant TALKED TOO MUCH

T · September 2003

Is it ok to not hire someone because you feel they are over qualified?

The position applied for is a mail clerk. You stand and file mail all day for $5.50/hr. Actually the real reason for not hiring her is she couldn't shut up during the entire interview. Telling me about personal problems she had with her past supervisor. Like I would want to hire her now anyway. However, I did tell her she was over qualified (she really is over qualified). I did not feel comfortable telling her she talked too much.

I believe she would have taken the position if offered to her but as soon as something better came along paying more money and something she could be doing sitting on her be-hind, she would have left.

Thanks.

Theresa Gegen TX · September 2003

I am a firm believer in that old adage "I always tell the truth,that way I don't have as much to remember."

If you didn't hire her because of her interview -- that she complained about a previous supervisor and talked about unprofessional (personal) matters -- that is a perfectly valid reason for not hiring someone. And it would be okay to tell her that.

Now you told her she was "over-qualified." Well, as long as she is under 40 you are probably okay. But there are some cases that say that "overqualified" is a pretext for age discrimination.

Good Luck!

rad · September 2003

I agree, you have to be careful with that one! I'd use it only as an extreme last resort, you really do not even need to give a reason- the "we've found someone who better meets our needs" is a good one to use if the person insists on a reason and you feel you need to give one.

As far as overqualification, I dream of the day I can kick this place, graduate degrees and all, and work in a flower shop - "will that be red roses or white?" x;-)

marc · September 2003

I have mixed feelings about it. If the level of over qualification is extreme, there may be something going on in the applicants life that justifies it, but mostly I think it is asking for problems. You are right about how quickly they may move on and that by itself can justify passing over a candidate. I have also seen them cause strife by being under utilized - and have even seen job sabotage (when discovered, immediate termination).

There is however, something to be said about someone taking a lesser job just to get their foot in the door of a great company. Lots of success stories started out in the mail room or on some production line. Really think through why you are not comfortable with a candidate having too much of a good thing.

Sounds like you had other reasons to pass on this one anyway.

T · September 2003

I now see that I should have just told her the "true" reasons for not hiring, but I hate to be "mean", and goodness if I would have told her the truth that would have been just more questions she would have asked.

I just wanted to call her and tell her that I had chosen someone else for the position, but no she wouldn't let that be the end of it. She had to ask "WHY?" :_)

Paul · September 2003

The old HR adage "No good deed goes unpunished." comes to mind. I would have to double check to see if it applies to the application process, but I know that if you terminate someone and don't tell them the real reason for the termination, you have laid the groundwork for a discrimination claim for them (if they can prove that the reason given was not the correct reason). Remember, the "real" reason doen't have to have anything to do with discrimination. Just the fact that you didn't tell them the "truth" will allow them to clear the hurdle and drag you into court.

We never call someone and tell them that they were not hired. Those people that we bring in for a F-2-F interview get a nice (polite and carefully phrased) letter from us. This eliminates this legal exposure. It is not a matter of what is nice, but instead it is Risk Managment 101.

I hope this helps.

ray a · September 2003

I would have just told them that we hired someone who was better qualified for the position. Don't paint yourself into a corner by saying too much. I would not tell someone they are OVERqualified. As RAD implied, maybe they were looking for a less stressful job for whatever reason. Now you may have opened a discrimination can of worms.

njjel · September 2003

If an applicant ever pushes me to tell them why they weren't hired, I tell them that the successful candidate's qualifications, education, and experience exceeded theirs. If they push for specifics I restate the above and thank them for interviewing.

Applicant TALKED TOO MUCH

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