What do they mean, 'overqualified'?

A "Frank & Ernest" cartoon by Bob Thaves shows two cavemen standing on either side of a rock labeled "Now Hiring." The stooped-over, grizzled caveman who is doing the hiring takes one look at the tall-standing caveman and declares: "Walking upright, eh? I'm afraid you're overqualified."

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Depending on your sense of irony -- or your experiences on either side of that rock -- Thaves' cartoon just might sum up your feelings about the term "overqualified."

For starters, the word itself is funny. An oxymoron in the truest sense. How in the world can one be too capable, too able to do a job?

I've heard all kinds of theories about and explanations of the term, from both job-seekers and employers. Not surprisingly, candidates are not happy when they hear the word. Being told you're too good for a job is bound to raise the question: What's the real story here?

As a job search strategist, I applaud this tendency toward analysis. Candidates should be looking for the story under the story. I'm just not sure candidates are coming up with the right answers.

Are you shouting "age discrimination!" as you read this? Many job-seekers I've worked with feel certain that the hidden story is age bias. The employer is looking for a neutral term to use when turning down older, experienced workers.

This is a tough argument to confirm or refute. On one hand, it's a "duh" kind of proposition. Of course the people labeled "overqualified" are going to be the workers with the most experience. You don't get overqualified any other way. So of course, it's the older workers who are hearing the term "overqualified." And maybe some of those employers do harbor age bias. But could there be another explanation?

Here's an example from a recent issue of the St. Paul Pioneer Press "Bulletin Board," a feature in which readers share their life experiences. The writer describes ending two years of unemployment by landing a job watching the bunny hill of a local ski slope. The opportunity came unexpectedly, when the manager called the house looking for someone else and hired the writer instead.

This job-seeker did everything right, from engaging the manager in conversation to fending off later comments from friends that the job surely is beneath the skills of a former office manager and curriculum writer.

And yet, even while I was cheering, my eye fell on another paragraph describing a two-year job search that included numerous applications for lower-level jobs. The excerpt: "I knew [the writer's emphasis] I was overqualified when I applied. But when one cannot find work in one's field, almost any job, no matter how unrelated to previous positions, begins to look good."

Ouch. Been there, done that. Who's more to blame in this very common scenario? Job-seekers who apply for jobs that look good only because their options are dwindling or the employer who won't take a chance on someone with more skills than are needed for the job?

Before you answer, listen to what employers have told me about the "overqualified" candidates they did take on. "They don't take the job seriously." "They try to run the place, and I just need them to do their jobs." Employers also talk about overskilled workers who use the lower-level job as a resting place while they look for other work.

Most frequently, they talk about the candidate not wanting this job but asking for it anyway. If you've ever been in charge of hiring people, you know that the least appealing applicants are those who don't really want to be there.

And on the other side? I've had employers gush about the stability, wisdom, problem-solving skills, reliability and work ethic their "overqualified" workers have brought. These bosses count themselves lucky to have hired people with more ability than the jobs require.

If there's a lesson here for job-seekers, it's multilayered. Don't jump to conclusions when you're turned down; emphasize the employer's needs and not your own when you apply; keep trying. Most important of all? Like the "Bulletin Board" writer, recognize opportunities, even when the knock on the door wasn't intended for you.

- Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice. com or at 1071 W. Seventh St., St. Paul, MN 55102.