Not hired because I was over qualified?!

[BettaDragon]

There used to be this local pet store in my area that took horrible horrible care of their animals. I majorly noticed their problems with reptiles and fish as I used to attempt to breed fish and have owned reptiles for a while. The fish always had ich and they did horrible things with the Bettas (for those betta lovers out there they put a bunch of plakats in one tank labeled as females and sometimes threw in a bunch of males together). The reptiles were just as bad. The anoles was probably the worst tank. The whole tank was littered with dead anoles. At one time I saw a dead AFT in a tank. They put almost all their reptiles on rough bark or sand. One day I just said enough is enough and I attempted to get a job there to attempt to help save these poor creatures. Being a small store they had no applications and you just talked with the manager for a minute or two. When I said what my background knowledge of animals was she said I was "over qualified". Here I am, a teenager, never worked in a pet store before, being "over qualified". I later talked to my friends that previously worked there and they all got fired for attempting to HELP the animals. I am happy to say that that store is now shut down. No wonder they probably made no money because all their animals were dead or dying. That place truly sickened me. Has anybody else here been turned down for a job at a pet store because they were "over qualified"

 

[Scott&Nikki]

I've heard of it happening...but not in pet stores. Many companies (I'm not talking about retail shops, but more corporate jobs) will not hire "overqualified" people because they do not have set wages and salaries and do not want to pay more. In jobs like those, you get paid based on the job, as well as your qualifications.

But that guy is full of it, I'm sure. It costs a lot to take good care of animals and he obviously had no interest in it. I'm just glad they closed.

 

[BettaDragon]

It just bothers me when people that own pet stores don't care care of their animals and wonder why they have to close down when everything they touch dies and they fire people that actually know what they're doing.

 

[SteveB]

If you're set on working at a pet store and petco/petsmart will hire you, that may be a better option. Get the discount on supplies from the store and then come online to buy your animals from quality private breeders.
Chain stores at least have policies in place for getting animals treated by vets and taking animals off the sales floor if they are not thriving. You can make a difference by making sure those policies are enforced at least...

 

[BettaDragon]

If you're set on working at a pet store and petco/petsmart will hire you, that may be a better option. Get the discount on supplies from the store and then come online to buy your animals from quality private breeders.
Chain stores at least have policies in place for getting animals treated by vets and taking animals off the sales floor if they are not thriving. You can make a difference by making sure those policies are enforced at least...

I've tried to get a job there before but they never hire because people are always begging to work there. I wanted to get a job at that place simply to try to help those animals even if it came out of my own pocket. The owner was, and I will say it bluntly, an air-headed moron. The woman was not right in the head and she not only treated her workers badly, but the customers as well. I once saw a couple guys were looking a snake once and asked what kind it was. She answered rudely, "It doesn't matter, it's not for sale." She then followed the people throughout the store until they left. Not only is woman unethical in her business, she's simply a moron. She got her store closed down so all I have to say is karma's a b****.

 

[Leopardbreeder]

That is sickening. Funny thing, I am applying (know the manager personally actually) for a pet store job this week. They take GREAT care of all animals.

 

[StinaKSU]

I've tried to get a job there before but they never hire because people are always begging to work there.

Interesting.....they seem to almost always be hiring at the store I'm working at

 

[Perefalcon]

they're scared of you stina :main_rolleyes: :main_laugh: :main_evilgrin:

 

[StinaKSU]

lmao! Oh yeah...i'm a scary gal...be afraid...be very afraid!

Unfortunately we get a lot of people who show up for like 2 days and have to cashier and then just never come back.......lol

Liz apply at the Raritan Petco......I need someone to help me clean small animal cages........lol

 

[Pookachu]

In corporate environments a lot of times over-qualified individuals are not hired because the turnover rate for those individuals are usually pretty high.

Most of the time those individuals at that time are looking for anything because they need something to make ends meet. Most then end up leaving when they finally do come across a job opportunity that closer matches their qualifications and desired salary. Not that I would blame them.

-- --

Getting back to the original topic, good luck with the job hunt.

I've heard of it happening...but not in pet stores. Many companies (I'm not talking about retail shops, but more corporate jobs) will not hire "overqualified" people because they do not have set wages and salaries and do not want to pay more. In jobs like those, you get paid based on the job, as well as your qualifications.

But that guy is full of it, I'm sure. It costs a lot to take good care of animals and he obviously had no interest in it. I'm just glad they closed.

 

[Leopardbreeder]

Jobs are in such short supply in my area. I was laid off becuase there was not enough winter business.

 

[BettaDragon]

lmao! Oh yeah...i'm a scary gal...be afraid...be very afraid!

Unfortunately we get a lot of people who show up for like 2 days and have to cashier and then just never come back.......lol

Liz apply at the Raritan Petco......I need someone to help me clean small animal cages........lol

I wish I could but I live over an hour away. I'm from South Jersey.

 

[StinaKSU]

Awe

 

[BettaDragon]

Awe

South Jersey sucks. There's nothing good here and it's too overpopulated.

 

[Geckophoria]

If you're set on working at a pet store and petco/petsmart will hire you, that may be a better option. Get the discount on supplies from the store and then come online to buy your animals from quality private breeders.
Chain stores at least have policies in place for getting animals treated by vets and taking animals off the sales floor if they are not thriving. You can make a difference by making sure those policies are enforced at least...

Although I do not feel that Petco/Petsmart as a whole have knowledgable staff, they do have awesome policies. By no means am I knocking those on any of the forums that work at said stores of lacking knowledge, but out of a entire staff there are only 2-3 that know anything about a given department.

I had gone into a Petsmart in my area to get cat litter, and stopped to look at their reptile dept. They had a pair of Pictus geckos that I simply wanted to see their patterns, had no interest in the pair at the time. I was shown them, a young proven pair. The female had lost her tail recently. It was healing well but they felt that it was not a perfect animal. They told me that if I bought the male that I could "adopt" the female at no charge, plus take the 5 eggs. So for $34.99, I got a proven pair of Pictus geckos and 5 eggs (that all hatched). They also have a policy that they do not hatch eggs (something about no able to inventory them), instead they get rid of them. I make round between about 6 stores that give me their eggs, the dept heads that actually care are more than happy to let me incubate them. One store even calls me when they get gravid animals in. They told me that the general employee does not know how to deal with a gravid animal and usually crush the eggs invitro, resulting in the death of the female.

So in closing, they do have awesome policies for those willing to take advantage or inquire about how they may be able to better a bad situation.