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Experience, in all areas of life, is incredibly valuable because it can give you a greater understanding of who you are. The more you experience, the more skills you’ll tuck under your belt and the more perspective you’ll gain, both professionally and personally.
However, when it comes to changing careers in later life, you might feel uneasy about applying for a job that doesn’t match your skills and experience level – especially when you have more skills than are necessary for a particular role.
If you find yourself in this situation, the key thing to remember is that hiring managers are less likely to doubt your ability to do a good job, and more likely to worry that you’re hoping to gain more from the role than it can realistically offer (e.g. higher pay and/or a fast-tracked promotion).
People might also make incorrect assumptions about your commitment to the role, perhaps assuming you feel it’s beneath you in some way.
But by preparing to address these incorrect assumptions head-on, you can easily show prospective employers that the term ‘overqualified’ is irrelevant – and that by hiring you, they’ll gain a star team member with great intuition and resilience.
1. Declutter your CV
When you’ve got years of skills and experience, it can be tempting to try and include too much information on your CV. This is especially true about things you’re particularly proud of. But it’s likely that not all of your information will be relevant to the role you’re applying for, and it’ll make your CV longer than it needs to be.
A prospective employer will usually receive hundreds of applications for a single job, so a CV that’s more than a couple of pages can be overwhelming and prompt the hirer to move on to the next, more concise application.
While it’s important to list places you’ve worked, job titles you’ve had, and core skills you’ve picked up along the way, any extra details or examples from more than 10 years ago should only be included if they demonstrate your ability to do the job you’re applying for. Otherwise, it becomes less relevant to your skillset today.
It’s more important to summarise your relevant skills and experience at the start of your CV than to give extensive information about jobs from 20 years ago.
For more CV tips, check out our article on the subject.
2. Always include a cover letter
Whatever your experience level, it’s important to make sure you include a cover letter. It’s your chance to speak directly to a prospective employer and tell them why you want this specific job with their company, and the positive attributes you can bring to the role.
From looking at your CV alone, your potential boss might wonder why you’re applying for a position that doesn’t match your skills and experience level. But writing a cover letter gives you an opportunity to address this concern outright. It’ll also allow you to let your enthusiasm shine through, so it’s clear you have a genuine interest in the role.
Your cover letter is your first chance to make a lasting first impression and stand out from the crowd, so it’s always worth taking the time to write one.
If you’re looking for advice, our article, Tips for writing a cover letter when you’re over 50, will hopefully be helpful. We also have several cover letter templates that you can download below.
3. Express loyalty
Some hiring managers might worry that if you’re applying for a role that’s below your current skill and experience level, you’ll treat it as a stop-gap or might be expecting to accelerate through the ranks as soon as you get your foot in the door.
For this reason, try to reassure your potential boss, both in your cover letter and/or your interview, of your motives for wanting the role. It’s a good idea to explain what led you to apply for the role and how you think you could help the company grow.
Finding out as much as you can about a company before an interview can help with this. Our article, 6 tips to help you research a company before a job interview, has plenty of tips on the best ways to do this.
4. Let your network speak for you
If you know people within the organisation you’re applying to, there’s a good chance that (if they haven’t already) they can put in a good word for you with the hiring manager. A recommendation from someone the hirer knows will give them positive insight into what you could be like to work with day-to-day.
If a prospective employer is doubting your loyalty or longevity in the role because your skill and experience level are above what’s required, a reliable account of you from a trusted third party could give them the reassurance they need to move past this idea.
To find out how to make the most of your connections during your job search, you might like to read our article: How do I start networking to find a job?
5. Show admiration, interest, and enthusiasm
One of the main things prospective employers will want to know about you, other than how your skills and experience qualify you for the role, is that you’re interested in the opportunity, admire what the company stands for, and are humble and willing to work hard.
You might have more skills and experience than the role demands – but if an interviewer assumes you are complacent, it could harm your chances of securing the job.
6. Show that you're a team player
Hiring managers might consider how your skills and experience could affect the dynamics of the current working team – for example, whether you can take direction from team members who are less experienced than you.
If your interviewer asks you to give examples of times you’ve successfully worked as a team, then avoid talking about times when you were in charge (unless they specifically ask for examples where you’ve led a team). Instead, try to give examples of times you worked well as an equal member of a team to reach a specific goal.
7. Make it clear that you're willing to learn
Many hiring managers will already see that there’s great value in hiring someone with extensive skills and life experience, but they’ll also want to see that you’re willing to take on new tasks and learn new skills.
Not all companies do things the same way, and employers appreciate candidates who can acknowledge this and remain open-minded and flexible when taking on new tasks or adopting new ways of doing things.
Let them know that, yes, you might already have experience, but you’re more than willing to get stuck in and embrace new challenges as they arise. Of course, you know this, but it’s important that, by the end of your interview, the hiring manager does, too.
8. Listen
An interviewer will always look at your communication skills. This not only involves how you express yourself, but also how well you can listen.
Listening is one of the defining features of our species. It gives us the ability to communicate with one another, work together, and make things happen that we couldn’t do as individuals. And it could be argued that nowhere is this more important than when you’re working as part of a team in the workplace.
By showing your interviewer that you have excellent listening skills, you’ll also be giving them a clue about what you could be like to work with (for example, that you’re a team player who’s willing to learn from others). This is especially important when you’re interviewing with a hiring manager who might be less experienced than you.
To avoid feeling intimidated, they’ll want to know you won’t be telling them what to do on the job! By showing that you’re willing to let them direct the interview and listening intently to what they say, you’ll be off to a good start. If the age gap between you and your interviewer makes you feel uneasy, you might want to read our article: Why you shouldn’t worry about being interviewed by someone younger.
Interviewers also typically have several things they’re looking for in a job interview and are used to leading candidates in a way that gives them the opportunity to say what they need to hear. So if you follow their lead and stop to listen or ask questions regularly, they’ll most likely walk you towards the answers they want to hear.
9. Be realistic about your salary expectations
Try to do your research upfront. If the job advert doesn’t display the salary ranges, try doing some broader research into the role to find out what sort of pay you can expect before writing your application. If you’re applying for a role that requires fewer skills and experience than your previous jobs, the salary might also be lower.
We always suggest that you don’t discuss salary expectations in your interview until someone offers you the job. It’s much easier to negotiate salary when you have an offer. Whereas asking upfront in an interview can give employers the impression that you care more about the salary than the role – which, even if true, isn’t the best impression to give.
However, some recruiters will actively ask for your previous salary. If your previous salary was significantly higher than the role you’re wanting to secure, it’s a good idea to make it clear to your interviewer that you’re flexible, and that you’re aware of the salary range for the role they’re advertising.
Final thoughts...
In the world of job searching, the question of how to land a job you’re underqualified for is a popular topic of discussion. However, when applying for jobs later in life with a wealth of experience under your belt, it’s not uncommon to come across roles you’re overqualified for.
So if you find yourself in this situation, we hope these tips help you navigate your application, nail that interview, and land a job that you want.
For more career advice, including CV, cover letter, and interview tips and tricks, why not head over to our careers section?
Are you applying for roles you are ‘overqualified’ for? We’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions, and any experiences (good or bad) that you’ve had in applying for roles in the comments below.
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