Experienced developers with a decade or more of work experience are encountering difficulties in their job search, as they are being rejected for being overqualified.
Hundreds of LinkedIn users have shared instances of being rejected for developer positions due to their high qualifications. Some applicants were explicitly told they had too much experience for the advertised role. Others were advised by HR professionals to `tone down` their resumes, for example, by reducing stated work experience or education level, to improve their chances in future interviews.
However, according to Alexandra Radina, Head of HR at EvApps, the phrase `you have too much experience` can conceal other reasons for rejection:
Alexandra Radina Head of HR at EvApps
“I`ve encountered this, and I`ve even made rejections based on it. Such a phrase usually hides a few things. First, it could be an excessively high salary expectation. Second, it`s often a desire not to offend the candidate. I`ve seen situations where an employee with extensive experience, after a technical interview and based on our grading system, turned out to be much weaker than they perceived themselves. To avoid offending them with that direct feedback, they were rejected using this phrase. As for intentionally downplaying experience or qualifications, I haven`t encountered that.”
Following a job rejection, an experienced senior developer shared his new employment strategy on X (blocked in the Russian Federation): he intends to take on multiple middle-level developer roles simultaneously. His rationale is to minimize responsibility while potentially maximizing income.
Alexei Gorelkin, an information security expert and CEO of Phishman, comments on this strategy:
Alexei Gorelkin Information Security Expert, CEO of Phishman
“Regarding deliberately understating one`s experience: employers will, of course, see your official job title in your electronic work record later. It`s a significant issue for an employer when someone takes a lower position purely for money. Such employees are the worst; whether they`re there or not, they`re still senior developers. Of course, they are highly motivated by money. Hypothetically, only two companies in Russia would hire them for a million [rubles] a month. If those positions are filled, they won`t get in. So, applying for a middle-level role is quite logical. But is it possible to work effectively in several middle-level positions? I doubt it. You might be able to get several middle-level jobs, but only until it`s discovered that you`re not actually working, because working fully in two positions is practically impossible.”
Increased industry competition is likely another factor contributing to rejections. According to hh.ru data, competition significantly intensified in the second quarter of this year: previously, there were approximately five to six resumes per vacancy, but now there are more than ten.
Nevertheless, IT industry experts interviewed by Business FM believe that a truly skilled senior developer will still find employment without much difficulty. However, if such a specialist accepts a lower-level position, there`s a risk they might eventually start dictating to management how to work, or simply become bored with overly simple tasks and leave. Therefore, the HR phrase `overqualified` often conceals mere politeness, assuming the phrase was even used at all.
Rupert Blackwood 
Clement Ashworth