Overqualified Job Seekers Pose Challenge

A 57-year-old woman has her bachelor's degree in communications, yet she is doing data-entry work for a staffing company.

A 55-year-old man has 25 years' experience in advertising, but he has resorted to freelance work because the laid-off father of two is struggling to find full-time work.

He said instead of sitting behind a desk, all of a sudden he has to learn how to get customers, how to get business. It's a real learning curve.

It is a scenario that has become common: Workers are too educated and experienced for the jobs they do.

For many people, job searches are becoming so frustrating that they are taking work out of their field or jobs considered subpar.

An associate dean of Oakland University's business school in Rochester, Michigan said when you hear unemployment statistics, they often underestimate the real level of the problem.

He said every situation is a little different, but at some level you need to put meals on the table and pay rent.

One woman of Waterford, Mich. said her resume is filled with short stints doing clerical and data-entry work.

She said it's been a bit of a revolving door. She knows it probably looks terrible on her resume. But she has to work. What is she supposed to do, she asked.

Being overqualified is not just an issue for workers. Employers are being inundated with resumes from job seekers hoping to land something to get them by. Not only do companies have to look at a large pool of highly qualified candidates, they also have to decide whether an overqualified person is a good choice.

Experts say companies must weigh whether an overqualified candidate will be dissatisfied with the position, will be resentful about working out of his or her field or whether the person will leave the job quickly.

A coach with Smart Women's Coaching said there is no such thing as being overqualified.

She said those are assumptions. A person who is extremely confident can create a dialogue to highlight things that they've done. They can convey to an employer that they can get more bang for their buck.

She added that it's all about how people feel about themselves: "If the person thinks the job is beneath them, they are not thinking of how they could do that job."