I Was "Too Qualified" to Work

Some accuse my generation of disdaining jobs "beneath" us. In reality, employers won't hire overqualified applicants.

With new employment numbers due Friday, March 4th, we at FrumForum decided that it was time to listen to the voices of the young as they face the challenges of this economic crisis. Over the next days, in an exclusive series, we will be featuring a number of their first-person stories. If their experience is yours, we welcome you to join the conversation at Editor@FrumForum.com.

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Moving to Boise, Idaho in 2009 was, in retrospect, a poor economic choice. Then again, I was unencumbered by anything else and the woman I loved had found a job in this western town.

Some people say that attitude is about how you react to situations you can’t control. Quaint, but it doesn’t pay the bills.

Early upon my arrival to Boise, one of the principals of a firm I hoped to join said flat out, “You are the type of guy that would fit in our firm, but we just don’t have the cash to pay.” Months later when I followed up offering my services for free in exchange for experience, the principle replied in turn that “It’s not the overhead to train you, it’s that there’s simply not enough work for us.”

Some accuse college-educated people in my generation of disdaining jobs we deem “beneath” us.  In reality, the reluctance is much more on the employer side.  Many employers refuse to hire overqualified applicants because they are scared the employee will leave as soon as things turn around. For me certainly overqualification has been the biggest deterrent to securing work.

At one firm, I passed two screening tests for a job as financial adviser.  Two interviews into the process, the interviewer said, “You have an education policy degree. What happens when jobs open up there?” I responded that goals and desires change. That was the end of the interview.

One answer of course is to employ oneself.  In Boise, one friend recently purchased the Hyde Park Book Store—a daring time to go brick and mortar, especially in the dead tree industry. Another Boise native will open the city’s first production brewery and tap house, Payette Brewing Company, later this year. In Chicago, a friend opened a delicious bakery called Cheap Tart Bakery, and in New York another friend transports fresh organic food from upstate into New York City with their emerging company NY Farm 2 Door.

So maybe the one upside of this recession is that it is forcing us to be more creative and adventurous in our approaches to our careers--and more humble about our situations.

But it doesn't mean we like it.

You can follow Tucker on twitter @Tucker849 or hire him at tslosburg@gmail.com.

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