Overqualified?

[pmeswani]

Another reason is that the project budget has been pulled at the very last moment which does happen.

"Overqualified" is a nonesense excuse that many of us have heard and it covers any conceivable reason for not wanting to hire you despite you performing well at the interview.

Bummer on the extended bench time (pardon the pun)

Probably looking for some free consultancy. Normally a reason in these situations.

[threaded]

Once upon a time one of our brethren got turned down for a c++ post for lack of experience, he's got 20+ years. Another got told he didn't know enough about threads; the high performance unix variant the client were running has his name at the top of the threads.h file. Yet one more got shown a section of the client code base, which was in reality based on stolen code, stolen from the guys PhD thesis! (but with name, details, etc. cunningly removed) and got rejected with the comment that he didn't know enough about their system.

When you get rejected, never read anything into what they say as a reason. Older and wiser I don't bother reading further than the 'sorry'. At best it's generally bollox, often it is (un)intentionally insulting.

[Fred Bloggs]

Probably looking for some free consultancy. Normally a reason in these situations.

Yes, that's happened to me too. Never again though. Now I openly just say "you need to pay for that information" if I suspect that happening.

[Gonzo]

Got rejected for a gig today due to being 'overqualified for the post'...

Why drag me all the way to a f**king interview off the back of my CV only to decide that? Insecure managers afraid of whatever is my only conclusion, looks like a bit more time on the bench for now. I knew there was something up with the guy of similar age couldn't look me in the eye on the departing handshake..

Have a rant, you'll feel better for it. Don't think that what you have been told for a minute is the actual truth.

Sometimes your face just doesn't fit. Accept that and move on, that's contracting.

Its not as though you were looking to get married or anything and had invested vast amounts of energy cultivating what you thought to be the perfect opportunitity only to have someone now tell you that you have been wrong about that all along.

[BrowneIssue]

chris79,

Yes, "overqualified" is always a lie when applied to contractors. It actually means your face didn't fit. But they don't want to say "You're going to get on my wick" or "You remind me of the bloke my wife had her affair with" or "You are so going to show me up" or "The rest of the team are going to be so intimidated by you" or even "I don't know why, but I just don't like you".

If they had taken you on, it would not have worked out, no matter how hard you tried. They didn't want you, they would have been unhappy and it would have made the gig untenable. That's what it really means.

So give yourself a reward for doing an interview: a takeaway, a bottle of pink pop, whatever.

Pat yourself on the back for doing a good interview. Well done!

Be grateful they allowed you to practice your interview technique - people charge lots for that service. Practice is always helpful.

Then get back to sending out CVs at 8:00 tomorrow.

[Turion]

Bad luck on losing both gigs. Well, whatever advice was given in your pervious thread it was meaningless in this case, but interviews are like buses, they'll be another load along soon and you'll be worried about which offers to turn down and be doing the boomed banana thing

Make sure you send a thankyou note to the interviewer, with this at the end

[Ivor Bigun]

Just annoying too as it was 20 mins from my doorstep on what would have been my best rate ever..

Anyway, sorry. Rant over!!

Bad luck.
I've always found that if you go away from the interview thinking it went well, it means it didn't.

[TykeMerc]

Bad luck.
I've always found that if you go away from the interview thinking it went well, it means it didn't.

Not quite always, but very often in my case and I've been offered gigs when I felt I utterly screwed the meeting and hadn't a hope in hell.

[Ivor Bigun]

Got rejected for a gig today due to being 'overqualified for the post'...

Why drag me all the way to a f**king interview off the back of my CV only to decide that? Insecure managers afraid of whatever is my only conclusion, looks like a bit more time on the bench for now. I knew there was something up with the guy of similar age couldn't look me in the eye on the departing handshake..

Chris, consider this advice carefully. I'm sure it soesn't apply to you but you never know.

Take a good look in the mirror - What do you see? If you see any of the following, you'll know what to do to rectify you initial impression.
- Out of shape
- Puffy skin from drinking too much or staying out too late/not enough sleep
- Stained teeth
- Bad (stupid) haircut or unkempt and overdue for a style makeover
- Podgy shape
- Bad breath
- Shabby smelly suit
- Old dirty shoes
- Ungroomed or untrimmed hair coming out of ears or nose
- Dirty spectacles. etc etc etc
- Long dirty fingernails

OR perversly
- Too well groomed and power dressed too stongly.

For most interviewers, the decision is made within a few seconds of you entering the room and the rest is just a confirmation of the original decision.

If the interviewer is younger or the same age, you need to look as good as him or to look like you are someone he would like to be (and likes and respects).

Also, don't talk so much - Only answer the questions asked in a careful succinct clear firendly way.

Do not think that the interview is an opportunity to tell the interviewer what you think will impress them - you will always get it wrong by the vey act that you are TELLING them - they will not have asked for it.

good luck - Clearly you could do the job - You failed the interview because the interviewer didn't like you - nothing else - find out why quick.

[suityou01]

Sorry to hear that dude. These thing have a habit of working out. It is quite possible you did VERY well at interview, and some insecure managers that like to be seen as "top dog" and can't actually put both feet into management and still like to keep their hand in might feel threatened.

On the other hand, you missed out to the six foot blonde with big tits and they needed to manufacture an excuse and went to page one in "Bullsh*t excuses for turning down perfectly good contractors - ISBN: 80110X"

I got "offered" on Friday for a gig, but am still waiting for the paperwork. I have an extremely young lad at the pimps dealing with this so he doesn't even have the patter to come up with excuses that are in the least believable. Possibly back on the bench too, but gigs are like buses as a learned poster mentioned in this thread.

Chin up, maybe next time you'll get a gig working next to the blonde.