There’s no such thing as being overqualified

Todd Wheelan, North Las Vegas

Thursday, April 1, 2010 | 2:02 a.m.

Regarding the New York Times article, “Overqualified? Yes, but happy to have a job,” which appeared in Wednesday’s Las Vegas Sun:

Whoever developed the term “overqualified” should be examined by a psychiatrist. If a person can do the minimum requirements of an occupation, but can also do more than what is expected, isn’t that a win-win situation? If a person needs a job in these disastrous times, why not give it to the best-qualified person?

Without sounding prejudiced against younger workers, mature workers and experienced professionals have a lot more to offer an employer.

“Overqualified” people mostly know how to deal with people, handle problems in a logical manner and understand what courtesy and politeness mean to a customer or client. When one says “thank you” to a younger worker, his or her reply is usually “no problem.” Whatever happened to the phrases “you are welcome” or “my pleasure”?