# Overquaified for a Job? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 2, 2015, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overquaified-for-a-job/729704 "2015-09-02T13:45:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overquaified-for-a-job/729704/41 "2015-09-03T02:42:16Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > I try to. One of the holdouts, that I actually enjoyed shopping at, started pushing a loyalty card and now they can go pound sand as far as I am concerned. It’s sad, truly. Loyalty cards create data, which they sell. The store is there to make money, not to be nice to people. This is why you would be an absurd choice as a retail manager. ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overquaified-for-a-job/729704/42 "2015-09-03T02:59:44Z")
\> My local grocer just around the corner is hiring cashiers, a job I could do well and would particularly enjoy working night/overnight shift. Only problem is I have a Master’s degree. WOW! I am unemployed for many years – I have a PhD. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overquaified-for-a-job/729704/43 "2015-09-03T03:07:40Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > Loyalty cards create data, which they sell. The store is there to make money, not to be nice to people. This is why you would be an absurd choice as a retail manager. Never mind the fact that, as a retail manager, you wouldn’t have any say re the upselling, loyalty cards, etc., because you’d be answering to the higher-ups. It’s all about the money and those customers who spend the money, plain and simple. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overquaified-for-a-job/729704/44 "2015-09-03T03:07:52Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > I don’t agree. Sometimes I loathe going into a store because I know that they are going to try to upsell me _again_. I would actually pay more for a local store that actually had: > > 1. No pushy upselling, whether for loyalty cards, service plans, or whatever. > 2. Staff who actually knew something about what they were selling. > 3. Staff who spoke fluent English. In general, most stores (that I go to) simply say “do you have [loyalty card/Target Charge card etc]?” _once_ and if you say no, that’s the end of it, they might ask you if you want to open it, but that’s usually it. I wouldn’t really call that upselling, I mean, somehow they have to make the customer aware, and I feel that’s fair. . Most customers don’t look at all the links at the bottom of the website and/or grab the pamphlets at the customer service desk. What I dislike is when I say no and they do ‘upsell’ me. One time I was at Target and the cashier asked me if I had a Target card (and this was more than what usually happens), I told her that I didn’t and she asked if I wanted to apply (I’ve never had that happen, they normally just move on). I said no, then she told me that I could save 5% if I did. I told her I don’t want another credit card. Then she told me I can get a debit card instead, I told her I don’t want one either, then she said ‘look, I’m just trying to save you some money’. I really thought about going to the CS desk and telling them that she made me uncomfortable with how pushy/rude she was being about it. Like I said, they normally just ask if I have one and sometimes ask if I want to sign up, but a simple ‘no’ is all it takes, I’ve never had them try to convince me to get one. Hell, at one of the local mega marts, if I don’t have my loyalty card on me (and just say no when they ask if I have one), they usually have spare one there and scan that one for me. Now, if you want to talk about Best Buy and their warranty plans that they shove down your throat, I’m on board with finding a way to get them to knock that off. I’ve almost walked out without my purchase because they were getting so pushy about it. “Well, if you think it’s going to break, I probably shouldn’t buy it”. I know their orders come from above, but I’m curious (especially with Best Buy) if they have to sell a certain amount of them or if they’re really told that the customer has to say no at least X times before you finish the transaction. I always think it’s funny when the warranty price doesn’t even make sense. “Would you like to get a 2 year warranty on this for $13.00”. Ummm, it’s $25 item, I’ll take my chances. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overquaified-for-a-job/729704/45 "2015-09-03T03:11:51Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > \> My local grocer just around the corner is hiring cashiers, a job I could do well and would particularly enjoy working night/overnight shift. Only problem is I have a Master’s degree. > > WOW! I am unemployed for many years – I have a PhD. I once heard that Madison, WI (think UWM, Go Badgers, Party School) has a huge amount of taxi drivers with Masters/PhDs. But I assume some of them couldn’t find work in their field and some of them couldn’t find work in their field _in Madison_. I see a lot of people go to UWM and never want to leave the city. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overquaified-for-a-job/729704/46 "2015-09-03T03:56:54Z")
> [@](#): > > [quote= > Fiveyearlurker > ] > Any company that I’ve been at (biotech), if we found out that a PhD applied for an MS level job, and omitted their PhD, they would likely be let go. > [@robert\_columbia](#): > > On what grounds? Would you trump up performance “issues” in order to attempt to fire them for cause? Would you “eliminate” the position \ and then re-create it a month later (oops, what were we thinking, eliminating that position?)? [/quote] No creativity needed. People can be fired for lying on their resumes. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overquaified-for-a-job/729704/47 "2015-09-03T04:29:15Z")
> [@mack](#): > > No creativity needed. People can be fired for lying on their resumes. [This](http://www.securedcourier.com/images/JobApp.jpg) is the generic application that most small stores use, you can buy it at Office Depot. It asks for High School, Tech/Trade School, Community College and University. Writing my history, (but extrapolating since I don’t have a masters): Pius XI High School, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and not writing in Marquette College (for my Masters) wouldn’t be lying, it would be filling out the application by answering the questions asked. Just like where it asks for your employment record and you fill out the last 4, even if you’ve had more than 4, because that’s how many it asked for. It also asks about additional courses and seminars. There’s where I’d mention that I have a bartender’s and ServSafe license. Both are pluses in the food industry, but if I was applying for a job answering phones in a cubical farm, I wouldn’t even think to mention them. I’ve also taken Accounting 101, but I wouldn’t expect to be doing the books at a new job anytime soon and that class was a few years back anyways so I’d leave that off. Most of my accounting knowledge is self taught. But if they need help with Quickbooks, I’m pretty good at it. Now, maybe a big corporation would use leaving your masters off for grounds to fire you (especially if they were looking for a reason), but a minimum wage job isn’t going to. Also, a big corporation isn’t going to rip a sheet off a pad of Office Depot Applications. It’s always been my understanding that firing people for lying on their application is for when they lie about, say, graduating college or about actually having a masters or their previous employment. Not leaving off the fact that you have a masters degree because you were worried it might make you seem over qualified to run the cash register at the local c-store. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overquaified-for-a-job/729704/48 "2015-09-03T11:30:08Z")
^^ Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overquaified-for-a-job/729704/49 "2015-09-03T11:34:44Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > But I have been, and am, quite aggravated at retail workers’ constant attempts to upsell me I may have chosen to not go to Five Guys yesterday because of their upselling. Not just that but they actually interrupt me before I finish my order asking if I want fries and a drink. I thought I got around that by saying “I want ONLY water to drink, a regular fries, and a burger with yada yada” in inverse order, but then they added shakes, which they always push at the end. At least they didn’t interrupt me (which is quite rude besides any upselling) but it is upselling. I was debating going there yesterday, but it was quite hot out so even without the upselling I may not have gone there anyway. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overquaified-for-a-job/729704/50 "2015-09-03T14:30:13Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > [This](http://www.securedcourier.com/images/JobApp.jpg) is the generic application that most small stores use, you can buy it at Office Depot. It asks for High School, Tech/Trade School, Community College and University. Writing my history, (but extrapolating since I don’t have a masters): Pius XI High School, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and not writing in Marquette College (for my Masters) wouldn’t be lying, it would be filling out the application by answering the questions asked. Just like where it asks for your employment record and you fill out the last 4, even if you’ve had more than 4, because that’s how many it asked for. > > It also asks about additional courses and seminars. There’s where I’d mention that I have a bartender’s and ServSafe license. Both are pluses in the food industry, but if I was applying for a job answering phones in a cubical farm, I wouldn’t even think to mention them. I’ve also taken Accounting 101, but I wouldn’t expect to be doing the books at a new job anytime soon and that class was a few years back anyways so I’d leave that off. Most of my accounting knowledge is self taught. But if they need help with Quickbooks, I’m pretty good at it. > > Now, maybe a big corporation would use leaving your masters off for grounds to fire you (especially if they were looking for a reason), but a minimum wage job isn’t going to. Also, a big corporation isn’t going to rip a sheet off a pad of Office Depot Applications. > > It’s always been my understanding that firing people for lying on their application is for when they lie about, say, graduating college or about actually having a masters or their previous employment. Not leaving off the fact that you have a masters degree because you were worried it might make you seem over qualified to run the cash register at the local c-store. My comment was more specific to a biotech/research setting. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overquaified-for-a-job/729704/51 "2015-09-04T18:57:30Z")
Thanks for your insight, everyone. > [@TriPolar](#): > > You need a resume for a cashier’s job? Er, I guess not. It looks like the way the application is structured, you fill it out online and there is a section that asks you to add your education. For one of the jobs I’m looking at, that section is marked Optional. So, I guess that’s good. For those complaining about upselling, it’s really not the cashier’s fault. It’s probably not even the general manager’s fault. Employees get insane amounts of pressure to do that sort of thing. It was one of my least favorite parts of the job back when I worked in food service. But the reason they force employees to do it is that it works. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overquaified-for-a-job/729704/52 "2015-09-09T00:42:58Z")
I am very glad to see you, my dear! _HUGS_ ( don’t have anything topic relevant to say, sadly :o ) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overquaified-for-a-job/729704/53 "2015-09-09T01:52:50Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Any company that I’ve been at (biotech), if we found out that a PhD applied for an MS level job, and omitted their PhD, they would likely be let go. Would any of those companies knowingly hire a PhD for an MS level job if it was disclosed in a resume? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overquaified-for-a-job/729704.md?page=2)