the_vera•1d agoMost Upvoted

Got told I'm 'too experienced' for a job I really wanted last week

So I applied for this project coordinator role at a small nonprofit downtown. Felt perfect for me, I have like 8 years of admin experience and ran a team of 5 at my last gig. They called me for an interview and it went great, I was already picturing myself there. Then the hiring manager emails me three days later saying they went with someone else because they thought I'd get bored and leave within a year. I was so frustrated because I told them I wanted to settle into something steady, not climb another ladder. Has anyone else had a company basically turn you down for being overqualified? How do you even talk about that in interviews without sounding desperate?

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alice_reed4710h ago

The overqualified thing is a real trap that I've seen a lot of people fall into. Maybe try flipping it in your interviews by saying something like "I've had plenty of ladder-climbing jobs, but right now I'm looking for a place where I can actually use my skills to help the team grow, not myself." That way you're showing you've thought about it and it's a choice, not just a fallback. Another trick is to ask them what they think would keep someone like you engaged, and then directly address that concern before they can bring it up. It's also worth mentioning that small nonprofits sometimes worry about budget and stability, so you could casually say you're not looking for a big salary jump or title change. Honestly though, it sounds like they did you a favor because a place that can't see that steady experience is a win is probably not going to be a good fit. Hope you find somewhere that actually gets it.