I know a person with significant executive experience who left their former employer a while back and—due to changes in personal circumstances and a desire for work/life balance—has since been looking for a lower (director-level) position. Unfortunately, after applying over the past number of months to about 20 jobs, the person has only received callbacks to two of them.
Wondering whether HR folks tend to frown on “overqualified“ applicants in these cases. The person also has an earlier employment gap during the pandemic while they were doing some consulting, so that, combined with the current growing gap, may also jump out at recruiters; there’s also the fact that they’re likely competing against people with upward career trajectories, which may also be to the person’s detriment in comparison. I know the job market is tough but I also just wanted to know if this person is barking up the wrong tree and will need to approach things differently. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks for your time!