Saturday, April 16, 2011

Are you hiring overqualified candidates?

“Sir, I understand that there is a position of Assistant to CEO position. Can I apply for the same?”
“Why? You are not happy with your current job?”
“No sir, I don’t like this job, it is like a salesgirl job. I have to go in the market and sale the product. It is very embarrassing for me.”
“But you knew that this is sales job, when you join the organization. If you don’t understand the market, how will you understand the business?”
“True sir, but….”
This was a conversation between management trainee and HR manager.

We hire MBAs to sell insurance products, customer support and for jobs which can be done by B Com graduates.  We hire BE for the maintenance job. We hire Graduates and diplomas for the position of machine operators and so on…

Hiring overqualified people for the position is the main reason behind big attrition. In management institutes and so called business colleges, they are taught management, strategy, blah blah blah, but, at the end of the day they have to work on shop floor, on the ground of the market. Management students have different perception about their career and job. Industry expectations are different. If you hire bright talent, your business will grow. But who is responsible for developing the talent. Management schools (except top few) don’t teach them business.

In certain states of India, qualification is the mockery. They don’t go in schools and still get the degrees. When you hire these students just have a look whether they have done it full time or just through distance course. It is applicable for graduation also.

“If I get diploma or graduates in same salary why should I hire under-qualified candidate for operating machines and testing in lab as per the SoP? And I call them associate! I can fire them anytime.” One more misconception among industry people.   


I personally feel (and you will agree with me) that the person should be the exact match for the position. If you do so, you will have at least some control on attrition.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

We have to find out the competencies of people who hire and interview the candidates. There should be propoer training to Line Managers and HR people.

Inderpal Singh said...

It is not the fault of the employer alone. These "overqualified" employees as you would call them lack the basic skills of management and I wonder if they actually imbibe any of the management concepts. Just putting them in higher positions just becuse they carry a diploma/degree does not make them fit for the job.
Also, it is important to know the working at lower levels to understand how strategy should be made, etc. e.g: You cannot hire a person as AM-HR (generalist)without him/her having spent some time recruiting. So also for the shop-floor or sales.

You may also like these.. please read