Overqualified Employees: A Review, A Research Agenda, and Recommendations for Practice

Abstract

Managers are often concerned about hiring overqualified candidates, assuming that such individuals will be difficult to retain and keep satisfied. This paper reviews the consequences, moderators, and management of employee overqualification. The author identifies gaps in the literature, proposes an agenda for future research, and provides recommendations for practice. It is argued that prior research has been limited by its overreliance on self-reports of overqualification. Also, more research is needed to understand how hiring managers categorize candidates as overqualified, how coworkers perceive overqualification, and why individuals may choose to work in positions for which they are overqualified.