A challenge of the time: The candidate who's too good to hire

Top-notch qualifications and experience are getting in the way when some unemployed managers and executives apply for positions in northern Nevada.

The problem? Employers figure the top-quality applicants are so good they are almost certain to bolt for greener pastures once the economy recovers. Rather than face the possibility of another vacancy a few months down the road, some employers opt to hire less-qualified and, presumably, less-mobile applicants.

"It's very common," says Jim Annis, president of Applied Staffing Solutions in Reno. "And employers are making a huge mistake when they do this."

John Nelson, chief administrative officer of Employers, says the Reno-based workers compensation carrier, like other employers, has seen a steadily rising tide of well-qualified applicants as the recession stretches on.

"We have people applying for positions when they are clearly overqualified," Nelson says.

That, in turn, raises a host of questions for the person who is about to do the hiring, says Emily Ellison, regional manager in northern Nevada for Hire Dynamics, a staffing company.

Some, for instance, worry that a former manager hired for a non-management job might indulge in second-guessing of the new boss.

And fears are widespread that well-qualified candidates are only biding their time until a better job comes up.

The issue is so widespread, Annis says, that Applied Staffing encourages well-qualified candidates to straightforwardly address the question in the cover letters that accompany their resumes.

In some cases, Ellison says, managers are doing the right thing when they pass over a highly qualified candidate to hire one whose credentials shine less brightly.

The recruiter's job, she says, is to hire the candidate who is the best fit for the position.

"That doesn't necessarily mean the absolute best person from the candidate pool," Ellison says.

Other employers, Nelson says, should be looking at the highly qualified pool of applicants as a rare opportunity to build a top-notch organization.

"It's a phenomenal opportunity to really bring in some talent," he says. "It's your opportunity to hire for what's coming next."

Annis says the power of hiring top performers is amplified if companies take advantage of the downturn to turn weak performers loose and replace them with highly qualified candidates.

But, he adds, hiring a seemingly overqualified manager or professional staffer requires some careful thought by the company that's doing the hiring.

Creation of a plan that lays out a path for professional growth, especially after the economy begins to recover, often will be the key to ensuring that top performers don't bolt.

"They won't leave if you've made a commitment for them to grow with the company," he says.