How to Respond When an Interviewer Says You’re Overqualified

I overheard a conversation with My Drunk Aunt and one of her friends and here’s how it went

Drunk Aunt’s Friend; You look like you’re in deep thought... whatcha thinking about?

My Drunk Aunt; *sigh* You know, the older I get, the more and more I miss the people I’ve lost over the years

Drunk Aunt’s Friend; Yes, Tour Guide was the wrong career choice for you

My Drunk Aunt;

Me;

Anyway…

Here’s another thing I hear from many of my new clients and how to make it work for your advantage

If an interviewer says ‘You seem overqualified for this role’ please don’t start apologising for having a brilliant career

And please don’t say ‘I’m happy to do anything’ because that gives them very little reason to believe you actually really want this job

You might have led bigger teams or held a more senior title and now you want work that works for the life you have today

That’s a perfectly sensible decision but you need to explain it so the person hiring you can understand what you’re choosing and why

They may be wondering if you’ll get bored or resent the salary or disappear as soon as somebody offers you a bigger title

Before you start defending your experience ask;

‘Is there a particular part of my background that makes you concerned about the fit?’

Now you can deal with their actual concern instead of guessing and spending five minutes arguing with something they never said

If they’re worried you’ll miss managing a large team you could say;

‘I’ve enjoyed leading teams but the work I want more of now is directly solving delivery problems

I understand this role includes the detailed planning and follow-up as well as the bigger decisions and that’s work I want to do

I’m applying because the role fits what I’m looking for now’

Only say that if it’s true and make sure you’ve asked enough about the day-to-day work to know what you’re signing up for

If you’re secretly hoping they’ll remove half the duties or turn it into a management role after you arrive then you’ve still got some thinking to do as it just ain’t going to happen

You don’t need to promise you’ll stay forever but you do need to explain why this choice makes sense beyond needing a pay cheque

An experienced human interview coach can help you hear the difference between explaining what you want and sounding like you’ll put up with the job until something better arrives

Sometimes the words you think sound reassuring make the other person more nervous and practising that conversation gives us a chance to fix it

Your dog doesn’t need every walk to be longer than the last one to have a brilliant time

She’ll happily take the same short path if it has her favourite sniffing spots and the person she wants beside her

That’s The Dog Code in your career

You’re allowed to know what suits you now and choose it without apologising for what you’ve done before

Your life is not a dress rehearsal so live like someone left the gate open

Explain your experience with confidence


The Dog Code gives you practical ways to stay calm, listen closely and explain your value when the questions get difficult


Explore The Dog Code book and audio