The Decision Matrix
The grid at the bottom of this page compares manager's skills against workers motivation. This simple four-square matrix can help you decide whether to hire an overqualified worker. Remember that in order to hire the best candidate you will need to get some of these overqualified workers past HR's screening, but with an understanding of this matrix you will be able to do that.
While this grid is shown as two types on each axis, there is actually a range from one side to the other.
Overqualified Worker Types
What type of an employee the overqualified worker is will only come out during the interview process. The manager must ask the right questions and carefully listen for the answers.
A senior manager friend of mine calls employees "barn burners" and "place holders". She is making the break in the wrong place. Some employees take a job only as a means to the next job. These people are continually driven for more. In the matrix I label them as "employee wants promotion", but in many cases they are "employee has to have a promotion now". These are good or bad depending on your management skill as we will discuss in the next section.
Most employees are just happy in their job. They would be happy to take a promotion if it came along, but they aren't going to push anyone out of the way to get it. These are always good overqualified workers to hire.
Underqualified Managers
The biggest obstacle to hiring overqualified workers is underqualified managers. Someone who got promoted beyond their skill level just tries to hide. They don't want to make mistakes or to be noticed. They don't want anyone in their team to do anything because it might reflect badly on the manager. These managers don't stop to consider that something done well by their team reflects well on them. They are too busy protecting their own job. These are the managers who hope HR screens out the overqualified workers because they are scared of them.
Good managers, however, welcome overqualified workers. They know that in order to get promoted, they have to have someone ready to take over their job. These managers welcome overqualified workers because they know these employees will make them look good and are a stepping stone to their own promotion.
Good managers also know that to get promoted, their team must produce beyond expectations. An overqualified worker, even if only for a year or two, can make major contributions both in terms of personal output and of mentoring other employees in the group. That's why good managers hire overqualified workers.
Early in my career I worked for a great manager. RER lead the team and everyone contributed. He hired one and then another individual who I thought were too old, too overqualified. Both were extremely motivated and extremely capable. I learned a lot form both of them. The team did very well. Morale was high. The manager was promoted to Vice President and his career just kept going.
Unfortunately, RER was replaced by BLP. BLP was in over his head and spent more effort holding down the people on his team than he did in leading the team forward. Morale plummeted. Productivity dropped off. I couldn't take the inactivity so I left. BLP's career ended in that job.
The Bottom Line
Good managers hire the best workers they can afford. They often hire overqualified workers. They aren't afraid of workers who might be older or smarter or more experienced. They manage the skills of their employees to help the team produce at its best level. That gets these managers promoted. Be RER not BLP and you will go far.
Overqualified Worker Grid
| Manager's Skill | |||
| Worker's Motivation | Manager wants to be promoted | Manager protecting own job | |
| Employee wants promotion | A - Hire Overqualified | B - Don't hire overqualified | |
| Employee happy in the job | C - Hire Overqualified | D - Hire Overqualified | |
