‘Overqualified’ isn’t a compliment. It’s a hiring risk label

The more qualified you are today, the harder it is to get hired. This is not a guess. It’s a documented, scientific reality. 

A recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that when job candidates were perceived as “high-capability,” highly experienced, highly credentialed, or simply more advanced than what a role required, they were less likely to be hired than lower-capability applicants, even when all other factors were equal. 

The researchers behind this study discovered something most hiring managers would never admit: candidates who appear “too good” for a job are viewed with suspicion. Not because of any specific flaw, but because of what they might do.

They might leave too soon. They might expect too much compensation. They might act superior. They might disrupt the hierarchy. Or, they might just get bored and leave. So, employers hedge. They take the path of least resistance. They pass on the most capable candidates, not because they doubt their skills, but because they fear the candidates’ motives.

Increasingly, the overqualified label is used to avoid confronting deeper forms of bias against age, against education, or against those who they think may not fit into a company’s hierarchy. These concerns are more emotional than rational, rooted in fear, insecurity, and a desire for safety, calm, and steadiness.

If you’ve been in the job market for a while and you have a long résumé, seniority, and lots of education behind you, you’ve felt this firsthand. You’ve applied to roles that match your background perfectly and heard nothing. It’s not in your head. The system is flagging you as a problem. Fortunately, this bias can be overcome. 

Rewriting the story

The same study showed that high-capability candidates can get hired if they know how to rewrite the story that employers are telling themselves. The researchers found that when highly capable applicants took three specific actions, the hiring bias against them disappeared. Not reduced, eliminated. These specific actions include: 1) High commitment to the company and role, 2) Organizational alignment (culture and values), and 3) Hunger for the job at hand, not just any job.

Overall, the biggest fear hiring managers have about high-capability candidates is that they’re secretly holding out for something better. Of course, many are. They apply broadly. They keep doors open. They mention that they’re entertaining other opportunities during interviews. And that’s exactly what sinks them. Like their search for the right culture fit, employers these days aren’t just hiring for skills, they’re hiring commitment. If they believe you’ll accept another offer or back out after an offer is extended, they won’t take the risk. Period.

The study mentioned previously found that even the most qualified candidates were viewed more positively and were more likely to be hired when they showed high levels of commitment to both the company and the position. Not generic interest. Not professional courtesy. Real, observable, targeted commitment.

What to do

So how do you show that? You do it three ways: preparation, positioning, and language. 

All three work together to shift the employer’s perception of you from flight risk to first choice.

Hiring managers can tell when a candidate has done their homework, and for experienced professionals, preparation matters even more. You can’t rely on your résumé to do the convincing. You have to show them that you didn’t just apply because the job matched a few keywords; you applied because you chose their company for a specific reason.

Many overqualified candidates unintentionally undermine their own commitment by saying things like, “I already have a lot of experience in this area.” Or plainly, “I’ve done this before.” Or self-centeredly, “This is a good fit for my background.”

None of those statements signals loyalty. They signal neutrality at best. They say, “I can do this job,” not “I want this job.” 

Lead with what’s next

To keep from accidentally positioning yourself as someone who’s just applying to collect a paycheck, you need to stop leading with what you’ve done and start leading with what you want to do next. That next thing? Make it clear that it’s this role.

They’re not asking to evaluate your ambitions. They’re asking to evaluate your loyalty. What they want to hear is simple: “I see myself here. Doing what the company needs. Evolving with the team. Staying, contributing, and growing.”

They want language that says, “This is not a temporary stop. This is where I plan to stay.” Long-term commitment is what builds trust. It’s what gets you hired in a system that assumes people like you—someone experienced, overqualified, and resourceful—will walk away the minute something shinier comes along.

The current hiring systems are built to minimize perceived risk. And right now, highly capable and credentialed job candidates look risky. Not because of what they’ve done, but because of what employers assume they’ll do next. If this sounds like you and you want to change it, you have to make new assumptions easier to believe. This isn’t about playing small. It’s about showing commitment, not ambivalence. Collaboration, not superiority. Focus, not distraction. 

Removing the risk label requires you to own your experience and your intentions, at the same time.