Or is it just a term made up to find an easier reason to reject job applicants?
So it looks like the consensus is “overqualified” is a euphemism for
- “I’m afraid you’ll leave this job because I’m assuming you’ll have better chances elsewhere” aka “you won’t accept being my slave forever due to lack of opportunities”
- “I’m afraid you might actually understand how shitty it is here and want to improve things. can’t have that”
- “I don’t want to figure out how much to pay you when you know your worth”
- “You cost too much”
- “I have other reasons, but won’t say them”
A PhD can get a much higher paying (and likely less physically difficult) job than fast food. The unspoken assumption when someone is “overqualified” is that they will take a better job if the opportunity presents itself.
That maybe be true, but they may be trying a different career, or unable to find a job in their field because of oversaturation, or whatever other reason.
Isn’t that everybody though? If a cashier in fastfood got an opportunity to become a highly-paid streamer, they’d quit their fastfood job immediately too. But I do get your point: better credentials mean better job chances, mean greater likelihood of moving a job that’s paid better.
Yeah but streamer jobs that pay better than a fast food job are extraordinarily scarce. Not worth thinking about for a hiring manager.