Hiring Wisdom: If You’re Over Qualified, Please Apply

Costco recently opened a new store here and invited all local members to a pre-opening party. Thousands of people showed up, but that is not the story…

I attended, but was more interested in talking to the new employees than looking at the merchandise and eating the free food.

Here is a quick summary of some of the conversations:

New person at the gas pumps: Master’s degree in marketing, 25 years in sales and marketing, said they were “just burned out and looking for a change.”
Person in the photo lab: A young, 50-year-old, happens to live a block away from me. Retired from UPS and just wants something to keep him busy.
Person in the hearing aid department: 22-years-old, going to school, gave up a full baseball scholarship after one year because her mother got sick. She’s still in school, smart, friendly, and wants to grow.
Produce person: Mid-40’s, was a legal assistant who got tired of the commute and wanted to work around customers.

All are over-qualified for their new jobs. Costco was not concerned they would be looking to leave for something better.

This was originally published on Mel Kleiman’s Humetrics blog.