Too Talented for This Job

For employers, one silver lining of a cloudy economic climate has been the chance to hire higher quality talent. Without a tight talent market to contend with, many firms are bringing in stars that at other times they wouldn’t have been able to get. And given the desperation in the labor market, some candidates are willing to take any job, even if they are overqualified.

Conventional wisdom has always advised against hiring overqualified employees; it has been equated with higher turnover rates and low engagement.  The logic is that someone who is overqualified will get bored quickly, disengage from the work, and leave the company, bringing down morale as he goes. However, nothing is quite conventional about this recession and bringing in overqualified candidates may be a smart long-term move to build your talent pipeline.

The key is to do it with care, and to make sure these highly skilled workers are engaged and invested in your company’s future. Here are four things you can do to better manage overqualified employees:

• Surround them with equally high talent: For many, the quality of their colleagues is an important part of their work experience, and high performers do best when surrounded by other high performers. Be sure your overqualified employee has the opportunity to work with people of equal caliber. Expose him to people outside your department or at more senior levels through meetings or special projects. If he sees that your company has and recognizes talent like himself, he is more likely to stay.

• Focus them on the long-term: Candidates are often willing to take a job that is a step down because they want to get a foot in the door. Recognize that your overqualified employee likely has her sights set on something higher. Help her see how she can achieve her goals at your company. Be transparent with her about the company’s plans for growth and how she fits in. If her current role isn’t challenging her, show her a career trajectory that will get her that tougher job sooner rather than later.

• Give them autonomy: There is nothing worse than being micromanaged on a job you know how to do. Chances are that your overqualified worker will thrive if given the space and autonomy to do his job well. Ask him to make decisions about how to structure projects and approach his work. You still need to be a manager, but leave as much of the problem-solving you can up to him.

• Show that they are valued: Recognition and feedback are critical for an overqualified employee who is apt to get bored or demoralized by easy work. There are non-expensive —even free — ways to show employees that they matter, especially since many employees highly value non-monetary perks like flexibility and autonomy.