Hiring the OverQualified Employee or Mining for Gold

I am having a hard time understanding why a valuable resource such as the "over qualified employee is having such a hard time getting a job. Something seems to be out of whack here. How is that as a society we deplore people who live on welfare and rape our system, but at the same time, refuse to hire people who are out of work because they are seemingly over qualified for the job, EVEN when they are willing to work for thousands of dollars less than they would normally receive.

Now this seems really weird to me. I can understand on the one hand why an employer may not want to hire the person who is overqualified. They may fear he will be unhappy in the position and will try to leave as soon as possible. This is a valid concern, however, think about it for a moment. This person is knocking at your door and willing to take thousands of dollars less because they CAN'T get a job. You have a gold mine walking into your office- why aren't you mining for gold?

It seems to me that a change in perspective might be in order here. Think about the follow scenario from a Coaching perspective?..

Imagine that you are in the market for mid range car such as Ford Focus and when you get to the dealership, the dealer is having a fantastic special. Today, he is selling BMW's and Audi imports for the SAME price as the domestic?no catch!! Please be honest here, are you going to purchase the upgrade for the same price or are you going to stay with your original decision. Which will it be? are you going to turn down the import or are you going to say "thank you very much" and drive out of there as fast as you can in your beautiful beamer before someone changes their mind? This is exactly what is happening when you hire the person who is over qualified for the job.

You have an incredible opportunity from a strategic viewpoint to hire the knowledge, expertise and advice that this high price tag employee normally comes with, for an affordable price today. Think about how taking this person on can better your organization, even if it is for a limited time. We all know there are no guarantees in business today. Companies are downsizing to bare bones. Doesn't' it make sense then to maximize the employees that you do have? The way to do this is to hire the talent but for less money. Don't worry about how long they are going to stay with your organization. Obviously they were having a tough time getting hired in the first place if they were lowering their price and job expectation. Use them to implement new ideas and strategies that will propel your organization forward. Have them mentor your staff so that whatever knowledge they do come with, becomes enterprise property when they leave. This is like winning the Lottery.

Thinking in the short term and wondering when this person will leave your organization, is taking a negative view of the situation. Instead, try putting a positive spin on this windfall, and think about all the improvements and implementations that may take place while they are under your employ. Try to give them a bit of autonomy, after all they were probably former managers and even CEO's, but if they are willing to take the job, then let them, and thank the Universe for the forces that led them to your doorstep.

Frankie Picasso is an Entrepreneur and Customer Service Expert who has spent the past 20 years in Marketing and Customer Service consulting for both Public and Private Sector organizations. She is now a Motivational Speaker, Certified Master Trainer Coach in Leadership and Executive Business Coaching as well as a Professional Certified Life Coach with her company called Conversation with My Shoes.