What Does "Over-Qualified" Mean?

On LinkedIn, someone just posed a question asking what companies mean when they tell a candidate that they are “overqualified.” There are several interpretations (read them for yourself at LinkedIn Answers) , but mine had to do with what I call ‘career trajectory.’

Hiring people is a difficult process for companies as well as candidates. So usually a company will want to hire someone who not only can do the job they are hiring for, but who can also take on more responsibility as they grow. The speed at which an individual takes on new responsibility in his or her career is ‘trajectory’: how quickly they are going up.

So, what do you do if you suspect your career trajectory isn’t fast enough? That’s a topic for next time.