This may be the most frequently asked question in an interview. For a wide variety of reasons, job seekers are ready, willing, and able to take a position at a lower level than the last job they held. Some folks just need the money and are willing to do any kind of work. Others have decided that they don’t have either the physical or emotional ability to do what they did before. Still others want to return to work that may have been more fulfilling earlier in their careers. Whatever the reason, if you are interviewing for a position that is in any way a “step back” from what you have done most recently, chances are excellent that you will be asked some form of this question.
 

So what’s the right answer? Is being “overqualified” is a bad thing? It’s not clear what the interviewer wants to know. Here’s where you need to use your “active listening” skills. What information is the interviewer trying to get at? You may be able to figure out the interviewer’s concerns based on the context of the conversation. Here are some possible questions that the interviewer REALLY wants to have answered:

 

The interviewer may have any number of other concerns inarticulately advanced with the “overqualified” remark or question. The bottom line is that you cannot give an honest and direct answer to such an ambiguous question. 

Your goal in the interview process is to promote your skills, capabilities, and accomplishments and demonstrate how they match the employer’s needs. In order to do this well, you need to understand each question and if it’s not clear what information the interviewer wants, then ask for clarification.

 

If you are faced with the “overqualified” question, consider using some form of the following response:

“I want to provide you with all the information that you need to make a good hiring decision. Can you please clarify your concerns?” That clarification should express the concern of the interviewer and now you can respond. The right answer here is the honest answer. Be sure to consider your answer to the “overqualified” question as you prepare for the interview. Prepare your answers to every reasonable concern that being “overqualified” may raise.