Can Big Fish in a Small Pond Also Swim Happily? The Influence of Perceived Overqualification on Career Success

Abstract

Building on the conservation of resource theory, this study tries to examine the effect of perceived overqualification (POQ) on career success as well as the associated underlying mechanism. Specifically, our study proposed a moderated mediation model in which perceived overqualification influenced career success through job crafting, and career concern was served as the first-stage moderator. All hypotheses were tested. We collected the data from 195 full-time employees from the MBA classes in China, using a series of regression analysis combined with bootstrapping method. Four conclusions were obtained: 1) POQ was positively related to objective and subjective career success; 2) Such relationships were partially mediated by job crafting; 3) Career concern moderated the relationship between POQ and job crafting, such that the higher the employees’ career concern, the stronger positive relationship between POQ and job crafting; 4) Career concern moderated the mediating effect of job crafting on the relationship between POQ and career success, such that this effect was stronger when employees’ career concern was high.