The range of skill qualifications go from not qualified to completely qualified with varying degrees of partially qualified in between. There really is no such thing as over qualified, because complete is by definition an end in itself. Over qualified is generally used for people who have complete qualifications in one area and additional qualifications in other areas, otherwise multi-talented. You would think companies would want multi-talent employees, and in many cases they do. So, why are people rejected under the heading of over qualified? Because it is really a code word or jargon term for what they dont want to say out loud. Having recently been seeking employment I mention here a few of the underlying meanings Ive come across:

1. Wow youre good, I bet you want a high starting pay.
2. Dang, you have all the qualification to do this job and mine too. Im not going to be the one to hire someone who can compete with me for my job.
3. Youre so good at that skill; you cant have time to be good at this skill.
4. (The most insulting) Youre obviously really smart, so Im sure you would be bored here; a.k.a. you are so smart and stuck in your own mind that you cant see youre going to get bored here (This is bureaucracy assuming theyre smarter than the smart people).

You're not alone in the 'over-qualified' field. I have had a few friends in the past with degrees in various fields who were turned down for jobs due to their being 'over-qualified'. Just because you have a degree in something doesn't always make it easy to get a job in that field. It depends a lot on what field its in and what area of the state/country/world that you're looking for work in such field. Sometimes people decide they don't want any more of the line of work they're in, so they go looking for something in a completely different, sometimes lower class of employment. To date, I don't know a single person whose current job has anything to do with the field their degrees apply to. My best friend from high school has a 4 year degree in graphic design. She works in a bank. Within about 2 years after getting out of school she was so sick of graphic design that she wanted something else. Another friend from a while back had a degree in psychology. I'm not sure how long he went to school for that one but it was a while. Last I heard he sells furniture. My room mate has a degree in sports medicine. He's a department manager at wal-mart, and its not even in sporting goods. Some companies are thrilled to hire people with college educations regardless of what their field of study is/was, due in part to the concept that completing college shows self dicipline and determination. Some turn you down because they figure you're just taking this job until something better comes along (which in a lot of cases can be true with or without a college background). And still others will tell you flat out you have no business working here because you have too much education, you should be somewhere where you actually have a future and growth potential. But the sad thing is there are a great many college educated men and women out there waiting tables or flipping burgers at mcdonalds wondering why they spent 4 to 12 years of their life and money earning a degree that isn't doing them a bit of good now. Sometimes witholding info about your educational background on certain resumes can actually be more beneficial to you than being completely honest and listing every diploma or degree you've earned. ~E.D.

Also, a lot of companies use the 'over qualified' excuse to turn down someone that they just don't want to pay on par with their skills. -- seliah

I have another translation to add. 5. Why would someone with your qualifications want to work here. You could make more money elsewhere, perhaps your resume is fake. (Maybe I am just not as stuck on making more money as you and I wanted to do something I would enjoy and have more time with my family, you idiot) I have also experienced your #2