Who thinks they're a big fish in a small pond and why does it matter? A meta-analysis of perceived overqualification

We carried out a meta-analysis of perceived overqualification (POQ). Synthesizing twenty-five years of research (k = 61), we helped to clarify disparate and conflicting findings in the literature. Our results indicated that POQ was associated with job satisfaction (p = 0.41), organizational commitment (p = -0.35), turnover intentions (p = 0.37), job search behaviors (p = 0.30), and psychological wellbeing (p = -0.26). In terms of job performance, POQ was associated with CWB (p = 0.16) and self-ratings of OCB (p = -0.25), but not task (p = 0.04) or creative and innovative (p = 0.04) performance dimensions. Results further indicated that POQ was associated with education (p = 0.08), negative affectivity (p = 0.11), narcissism (p = 0.09), and objective overqualificatiOn (p = 0.04). Beyond providing-estimates of-population correlation, we addressed a number of important gaps in the literature, including the role of power distance as a moderator. Implications for research and practice are discussed.