Being told you’re overqualified for a position is incredibly frustrating. After earning an advanced degree and working all those years to gain experience, finding a job was supposed to be easy, right? But take a look at it from the perspective of the employer. If you seem overqualified for a position, they think the job won’t be challenging enough for you and you’ll leave as soon as a better opportunity comes along. Then they’ll be back at square one, going through the recruiting and hiring process all over again. So what can you do to get over being overqualified? Here are some tips:

1. Revamp your resume.

First, when applying for a position, tailor your resume to it. That doesn’t mean you should lie about your experience, but incorporating some simple edits could make you more attractive to a potential employer. For example, rather than saying you were a “company manager,” consider using the terminology “project team leader” instead. Also, rather than listing an advanced degree, state that you’ve had additional professional training and list the topics in which you’ve been trained.

2. Approach the subject in interviews.

When you’re at an interview, deal with the “overqualified” issue head on. Be open about it and try to convince the interviewer that your skill level will be an asset to the company. Position yourself, and your experience, in a way that will be hard for an employer to resist. In essence, turn a perceived negative into a positive.

Here’s an example of what to say:

“It’s true. I’m more than qualified to get the job done. But that also means I can hit the ground running as soon as I’m hired. I have the skills, experience, and knowledge to deliver positive results in a short amount of time and I don’t need my hand held along the way.”

3. Deal with the salary factor.

Salary is another major issue you will probably come across if you’re perceived as overqualified. There are two ways to deal with this. Either you can let the employer know that you are completely flexible about compensation, or you can use specific examples from your work history to show how you were able to increase profits or cut costs, essentially justifying your salary requirements.

If you need some additional help finding a new job in Houston, Texas, please contact Murray Resources. We work with many of Houston’s top employers, including leaders in the energy industry, Fortune 500 firms, financial services firms, legal and medical practices, as well as dozens of other small to mid-sized employers – and we can help you find the employer that’s the best fit for you.