Hi Joel McDonald so happy for you that your patience and hard work paid off! For anyone else who is told they are overqualified here are some tips to handle it!

-Don’t oversell yourself Instead of focusing on highlighting all of your accomplishments on your resume if you’re overqualified, focus specifically on roles and responsibilities that align with the potential position. Be specific and straightforward! The goal is to make yourself appear in line for that position.

-Address salary concerns When you’re overqualified you will likely receive a salary reduction and it’s important to convey to the employer that you’re willing to take one. So, be sure to address the elephant in the room! In your cover letter make it clear that the role is an acceptable range for you. If you were a manager for example and you are now looking for an individual contributor role, make it clear you're not expecting a similar salary because you know this role has less responsibility.

-Be ready to explain why During an interview expect questions about why you want the job given your advanced experience and skills. This is likely the first question the employer will ask, so having a great answer prepared is very important. First, acknowledge that you know you're overqualified and next, provide reasons why it benefits the company to hire you. This could be that you plan to use your wide range of experience to mentor team members or assist when coworkers are out sick or on vacation.

-Utilize your experience Make sure to research the company before applying. Show them that you understand their problems and outline what your experience can bring to the organization. You're at an advantage because employers know that hiring someone with more experience means the learning curve for training/onboarding will be shorter and that someone with more experience at a lower price can greatly benefit them.

-Have a good attitude Don’t necessarily put on the breaks and think it can’t or won’t happen. Instead of seeing yourself as overqualified, view yourself as highly qualified with something extra to offer the company! Make sure NOT to treat this as a guarantee that the job is yours based on your experience. Even though you have all that great experience it doesn’t necessarily mean you will land the job on that alone. You will still need to convince the company what you can do for them!

Wishing you nothing but the best Joel!