Just Got Some Great News(sarcasm)

[Luminus]

Wal-Mart can't pay the rent. You're better off with Unemployment.

 

[Commander Rabbit]

Boy, do I know the feeling!

Wal*Fart wouldn't hire me because I was 'over-qualified'. ???

Well apply to another WalMart and neglect to mention your qualifications.

It's an empty comment meant to dismiss your application in what employers consider (wrongly) to be a non-insulting way; "Oh, you're too good to work here." It would be better to just say "Sorry, we're not hiring at the moment" instead of making up some BS excuse that no one buys.

Over-qualified is also an acknowledgement that you have the skills/experience to get a better job, and they fully expect you to leave ASAP. They'd rather spend the time and money training someone who is likely to stay longer.

(Oops, sorry, I obviously hadn't read the entire thread... someone said that already...)

 

[Joshua Howard]

Wal-Mart can't pay the rent. You're better off with Unemployment.

That isn't exactly true. If you're going from making 50K a year to 15K, and you've been living in a nice house someplace... then that's entirely true; you are in for a serious lifestyle downsizing. If you are over 30, I feel sorry for you... because by all typical standards, you should be better rewarded for your years of hard work getting to where you are.

On the other hand, if you're an ambitious single person, cheap jobs aren't totally evil. Assuming you're going to pocket about $1400 a month, it is possible to rent an apartment in most places for under $600. That leaves $800, or a $200/week budget for all of your other things like food and clothing.

It isn't the best thing in the world, but devotion to the company can double that salary in a couple years, and in the mean time... compared to all of the people around the world who are doing good to even have electricity, it's still the lifestyle of the American dream... and certainly, unemployment can't be as rewarding as, at minimum, being able to contribute in some small way to the economy around you.

In any case, Wal-Mart as an individual retailer currently holds the #2 spot in terms of highest paying employers in that market (under Costco).

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

Well at least I am felling a little better. After two days of getting as close to suicide as a I ever have been since I was a teenager I am feeling better now than I probably have a right too. Mainly because my girlfriend took the news very well. We are just focusing on how to make things work from here on in. I also enjoyed my first day of pharmacy technician class a great deal. It's a lot of memorizing and as much as a fancy myself a creative/philosophical thinker I think my strength is in rote learning.

I still would feel a million times better if I could actually start working somewhere, ANYWHERE. Since I am going to be graduating in six months and focusing on getting pharmacy work maybe I'll have better luck concentrating on just seasonal/holiday or temp work. I am still thinking that maybe if the economy slowly starts to rebound business won't want to hire, but they will want to use temp workers.

 

[freak]

I know how you feel. Being unemployed over a year now has been tough for me. Been to several interviews, none which have hired me and my benefits will run out by the end of the year so I'm trying to think fast and get work ASAP. It would be really nice if they could extend the benefits for another year or so.

 

[Ruaidhri]

It's an empty comment meant to dismiss your application in what employers consider (wrongly) to be a non-insulting way; "Oh, you're too good to work here." It would be better to just say "Sorry, we're not hiring at the moment" instead of making up some BS excuse that no one buys.

That's not what 'over-qualified' means. The term is used for people deemed a skip-risk. Someone coming from a $50k background is more likely to leave a $20k job hanging the moment something more fitting to their skills comes around, than someone who's had a recent history of making $20-$25k already. That person isn't going to get a $50k offer, unless their training for that field—a situation the employer wouldn't be aware of.

I don't disagree, I just think they need to come up with a better excuse.

You make it sound as though it isn't a legitimate reason from the employer's perspective, and therefore is just offered as lip service. Part of my job is interviewing and hiring. If my track record was such that the people I hired attrited at a higher level it would be poor job performance. If I hire someone I want a certain level of commitment from them, that they're not just stopping by while they look for a better job, that they will be worth the investment in training, etc. Is it frustrating for the candidate? Sure it is, but as a manager it's frustrating to have people leave because they think they're "better" than the job they have.

That said, it's very rare that I would give that as a reason in rejecting an application. Our company prefers the much more banal "You're not a fit" nonsense, but I've told people outright that I didn't think they would stay, and in some cases I've told people I've hired that my main reservation about them was that they would move on quickly (and some of those made a point of trying to prove me wrong!).

 

[Luminus]

That isn't exactly true. If you're going from making 50K a year to 15K, and you've been living in a nice house someplace... then that's entirely true; you are in for a serious lifestyle downsizing. If you are over 30, I feel sorry for you... because by all typical standards, you should be better rewarded for your years of hard work getting to where you are.

On the other hand, if you're an ambitious single person, cheap jobs aren't totally evil. Assuming you're going to pocket about $1400 a month, it is possible to rent an apartment in most places for under $600. That leaves $800, or a $200/week budget for all of your other things like food and clothing.

It isn't the best thing in the world, but devotion to the company can double that salary in a couple years, and in the mean time... compared to all of the people around the world who are doing good to even have electricity, it's still the lifestyle of the American dream... and certainly, unemployment can't be as rewarding as, at minimum, being able to contribute in some small way to the economy around you.

In any case, Wal-Mart as an individual retailer currently holds the #2 spot in terms of highest paying employers in that market (under Costco).

I'm over 30 and living in a house. No way Wal-Mart is going to workout.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

You make it sound as though it isn't a legitimate reason from the employer's perspective, and therefore is just offered as lip service. Part of my job is interviewing and hiring. If my track record was such that the people I hired attrited at a higher level it would be poor job performance. If I hire someone I want a certain level of commitment from them, that they're not just stopping by while they look for a better job, that they will be worth the investment in training, etc. Is it frustrating for the candidate? Sure it is, but as a manager it's frustrating to have people leave because they think they're "better" than the job they have.

No, I make it sound as if it's a trite backhanded compliment that makes assumptions about the applicant's motives instead of just telling them the truth plainly, offering an alternative explanation/excuse, or asking them if they are willing to make a long-term commitment to your company.

That said, it's very rare that I would give that as a reason in rejecting an application. Our company prefers the much more banal "You're not a fit" nonsense, but I've told people outright that I didn't think they would stay, and in some cases I've told people I've hired that my main reservation about them was that they would move on quickly (and some of those made a point of trying to prove me wrong!).

So basically, we agree. What's the issue then?

 

[Ruaidhri]

You make it sound as though it isn't a legitimate reason from the employer's perspective, and therefore is just offered as lip service. Part of my job is interviewing and hiring. If my track record was such that the people I hired attrited at a higher level it would be poor job performance. If I hire someone I want a certain level of commitment from them, that they're not just stopping by while they look for a better job, that they will be worth the investment in training, etc. Is it frustrating for the candidate? Sure it is, but as a manager it's frustrating to have people leave because they think they're "better" than the job they have.

No, I make it sound as if it's a trite backhanded compliment that makes assumptions about the applicant's motives instead of just telling them the truth plainly, offering an alternative explanation/excuse, or asking them if they are willing to make a long-term commitment to your company.

That said, it's very rare that I would give that as a reason in rejecting an application. Our company prefers the much more banal "You're not a fit" nonsense, but I've told people outright that I didn't think they would stay, and in some cases I've told people I've hired that my main reservation about them was that they would move on quickly (and some of those made a point of trying to prove me wrong!).

So basically, we agree. What's the issue then?

Trite? Perhaps. But I've certainly never meant it as a compliment, backhanded or sincere. It has never been more than an indicator of concern. A negative to weigh against the candidate's positives. And you're right, the statement itself is not adequate; it needs context.

In my experience, asking someone outright if they are willing to commit to your company is a question that gives you a worthless answer. I've had people tell me they would absolutely be committed...and a month later tell me they were going to university or had taken another job. Many people lie in interviews, and they tell you what you want to hear. Unfortunately that makes an interviewer wary even of the honest ones.

I just think I'm a little hung up on the word "excuse". I'm reading it with what seems like such a negative connotation, and thought I would offer a point of view from the other side.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Fair enough.