When you have a job vacancy, it can be tempting to fill it with any candidate. This is especially true if you are having difficulty filling the position.
Hiring a candidate who is more than capable of taking on the position can present additional issues. Although the candidate has what it takes to fulfill the job responsibilities, they may not be willing to remain with your company long-term. This means you could be looking for a replacement in a short amount of time.
Discover some pros and cons of hiring an overqualified candidate and some things to consider when making a hiring decision.
Pros of Hiring an Overqualified Candidate
- Gain access to a wider talent pool.
- Create a fast track to take on additional responsibilities and move up in the organization.
- Potentially bring aboard the candidate to fill another role.
- Attain a fast return to full productivity.
- Low training costs.
- Increased expectations for the position.
- Accomplish more business goals in less time.
- Less time is needed for onboarding and hands-on management.
- Upgrade the level of talent within the organization.
- Access additional ideas to improve processes, increase revenue, and reduce costs.
- Receive networking connections that benefit the company.
- Fast return on investment.
- Make changes that can benefit the role long-term.
- Teach teammates to increase their skill sets.
- Gain a mentor.
- Avoid the appearance of discrimination.
Cons of Hiring an Overqualified Candidate
- High risk for turnover when a more suitable role is found.
- Boredom or frustration with less challenging tasks and job responsibilities.
- Adverse impact on employee morale.
- Potential need to unlearn old habits and behaviors and replace them with new ones.
- Slower adaptation to company processes can mean increased training time.
- Anxiety that the new hire may end up replacing other employees or the team manager.
- Increased payroll and department budget.
- Potential need to update the new hire’s skill set, especially for technology.
Considerations for Hiring
- What are the candidate’s short- and long-term goals?
- Does the candidate desire fast progression within the organization?
- Is quick upward mobility possible?
- What does the candidate want from the role?
- Is the candidate looking for experience in a new area?
- Does the candidate want to get started with a new employer?
- Is the candidate going to leave as soon as something different opens up?
- Does the candidate plan to stay long-term?
- Use the answers to these questions to determine whether the candidate may be an asset to your team and should be hired.
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