Overqualified? A conceptual model of managers’ perceptions of overqualification in selection decisions

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual model for conducting research on how human resource and hiring managers form impressions of overqualified individuals and how these impressions affect their treatment of overqualified individuals during selection decisions. Design/methodology/approach – Given the central role of psychological processes within the proposed model, this conceptual paper builds on a social cognition approach. Findings – The proposed model consists of seven primary factors that can help propel research that is dynamic and contextually driven: attributes of the overqualified individual; job attributes; observers’ cognitive overqualification schemas; observers’ attitudes; observers’ categorization processes; the organizational context; and individual factors, all of which influence the observers’ treatment of overqualified individuals. Originality/value – Most research has focussed on individual-level outcomes of overqualification such as job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and physical and psychological health, while overlooking how organizational decision makers perceive overqualification and how this subsequently affects the likelihood of individuals being selected for an interview. Given the global growth in the number of overqualified workers, understanding antecedents and correlates of overqualification and how these affect organizational selection decisions is a pressing need. The proposed model outlines several factors that can help us better understand the phenomenon of overqualification.

Built to last: Interactive effects of perceived overqualification and proactive personality on new employee adjustment

“…Even when feeling overqualified for one's job, our study suggests that proactive individuals may tend to “make the most of their experience” in that they possess greater positive affect and perceive more job autonomy—factors associated with feeling better adjusted and less overqualified. Moreover, although POQ does not seem to decrease (and in fact increase) supervisor ratings of performance (Fine & Nevo, ), recruiters are sometimes hesitant to hire overqualified employees because such employees may be flight risks (Martinez et al., ). To the extent it has been established as job related, selecting individuals on factors related to thriving such as proactive personality may be one way to help identify overqualified individuals who intend to remain with the organization.…”

“…Additionally, POQ has been linked to employees’ dissatisfaction with intrinsic job elements such as variety and autonomy (e.g., Maynard et al., ; Peiró, Agut, & Grau, ) as well as dissatisfaction with more extrinsic job features such as pay and promotions (Johnson, Morrow, & Johnson, ; Maynard et al., ). There is also evidence suggesting that, due to concerns regarding morale and lower levels of role engagement along with perceptions that employees who feel overqualified for their positions may be a “flight risk,” recruiters often react to these applicants negatively and make an effort to avoid hiring them (e.g., Bewley, ; Bills, ; Martinez, Lengnick‐Hall, & Kulkarni, ).…”

Managers’ interview invitation decisions about older job applicants: human capital, economic conditions and job demands

“…Over-qualification, in other words when the job applicant possesses qualifications that exceed job requirements (Erdogan et al 2011), is also expected to lead to a lower likelihood of the manager to invite the job applicant for a job interview. This is because managers may find over-qualified personnel harder to motivate and fear such employees may leave when a job better suited to their qualifications becomes available (Martinez, Lengnick-Hall and Kulkarni 2014; Wald 2005). Hypothesis 1: Managers are less likely to invite older job applicants who are (a) over-qualified or (b) under-qualified to a job interview than those whose qualifications meet the job requirements. As mentioned above, managers may interpret signals provided in the application to make inferences about job applicants’ human capital (Bills 1990; Protsch and Solga 2015; Spence 1973).…”

Effects of perceived overqualification on career distress and career planning: Mediating role of career identity and moderating role of leader humility

“…In the human resource management (HRM) literature, employees with perceptions of overqualification have been identified as a specific type of human capital with unique and different needs (Sikora, Thompson, Russell, & Ferris, 2016). In line with this perspective, scholars have noted the importance of adapting human resource (HR) practices such as training and development (T&D) and employee retention programs to not only better utilize overqualified employees for organizational needs, but also better address the needs of employees who feel overqualified (Martinez, Lengnick‐Hall, & Kulkarni, 2014). To appropriately adapt HR practices, it is first necessary to understand the unique needs of employees who feel overqualified.…”