Overqualified and Still Getting Rejected

Overqualified and Still Getting Rejected

What does independence look like when you have the skills but still can't get the chance to use them?

Nigeria turns 66 today.

We usually talk about independence as a country. But there is a more everyday version of it too.

Having your own income. Taking care of your own needs. Having some say in the kind of work you do, instead of taking whatever comes because you need the money.

Think about Sylvia.

Four years at a commercial bank in Lagos. She handled difficult customers, met tight deadlines and trained new staff. She knows what she's doing.

Then she loses the job.

She's not looking for a promotion. She just needs another source of income. So she applies for a smaller role at another bank. Something she already knows how to do.

Then she looks at her CV and starts to worry.

Four years of experience. A master's degree. A job title that shows she had more responsibility than this new role needs.

So she starts taking things out.

The master's degree goes. Four years becomes one line: "customer service experience." The job title gets changed to something simpler.

Her thinking is simple: Maybe they'll call me if I don't look too experienced.

But it creates a different problem.

The hiring manager sees the shorter CV, searches her name and finds her old LinkedIn profile. Now the two stories don't match.

And he starts wondering: Will she leave as soon as she finds something better? Why did she leave all that experience off?

Sylvia isn't trying to deceive anyone. She just needs a job.

The CV isn't bad. There's just more on it than the employer expected for that role.

She can do the work. She's willing to do it. But the employer sees all that experience and decides she isn't the right fit.

Sometimes you find yourself in a period where the job you need isn't the job your experience seems to point towards. And the hiring process doesn't always leave much room for that.

So on a day when Nigeria turns 66, it's worth thinking about what independence means in everyday life.

For a lot of young people, independence means being able to make decisions about your future without panic. And that becomes hard when you can't get through the door in the first place.

If you've ever had to make your CV smaller just to get considered, what did you leave out?

Maybe independence also means being able to show what you've done without having to hide it just to get another chance.