Danville, VA-- Is being "over-qualified" a legitimate reason for not getting a job or an employer excuse?
With unemployment numbers high and an economy down in the dumps, some Americans are willing to take on jobs they wouldn't have considered during less desperate times.
Veronica Carter is one of them. She was fired from the American Express call center in Greensboro over a year ago. She's been out of a job for a year and a half and her unemployment runs out in December.
"I want to be back to being independent and paying my bills and being happy with my career", said Carter.
Carter has decided to go back to school at GTCC for criminal justice, hoping to find a paralegal job. In the meantime, she has applied to 72 jobs.
Veronica Carter even decided to apply for a few retail and even fast-food positions to make a buck. Figuring it was a shoe-in, Carter was shocked when she found out she didn't get the job.
Why? Carter was told she was "over-qualified."
Carter said, "In a way it sounds good cause it makes you think that you have that higher up, corporate level intelligence and they don't want to mess with that but then in a way, it sounds like, dang, am I the scum of the earth?"
News 2's Liz Crawford talked to Geoff Grenert, a managing partner with Leadership Solutions, LLC who does a lot of career coaching.
Grenert said that companies have to protect themselves and if you have too much going for you, you're more likely to leave. That cost the company time and money.
"When another opportunity comes up that's better, you're going to leave. The tendency is to leave so why would I hire you when I know that someone else can come along and offer you a better opportunity with more money," said Grenert.
However there are times when employers use the term, "overqualified" to sugarcoat bad news.
No matter what, Grenert advises people to be up front about the qualifications. You don't want to tone down your resume or conceal your experience because that comes across dishonest and companies will find out anyway.
His advice is to show up in person to hand in your resume and be resilient and don't be afraid to get your hands dirty and fill in any role available, even an internship. Prove that you can enhance the company, regardless of qualifications.
WFMY News 2