I was quite naive about “overqualification” until I started hiring people. Before that, I thought overqualification is a good thing and “anybody” should be happy to get me if I am overqualified.
The worst part about having a “overqualified resume” is that sometimes its so subjective and hard to know. I was part of a hiring process where the hiring manager was looking for an Engineer with Six Sigma experience, preferably Six Sigma Green Belt. Six sigma is process and quality control mechanism and the certification is essential for some engineering jobs. The hiring manager showed me a resume which fits perfectly for the role, but the candidate had “Six Sigma Black Belt”, which is one step higher and more prestigious certification than the Green Belt. The manager himself was a black belt and he was not comfortable hiring a Green belt due to potential churn of the employee in the near future.
“Chrun” is one of the most common side effect of overqualified hiring. If someone is overqualified for a role, s/he would expect more and less repititive job responsibility with time. Once they don’t get it, they leave! That’s why hiring managers are cautious about hiring someone with a PhD for a technician role.