Dear J.T. & Dale: I’m a former business owner who’s now searching for employment. I’m stuck in a conundrum: When I apply for lower-level positions, I’m overqualified; when I apply for higher-level positions, I’m underqualified. Suggestions? — Nolan

Dale: “Overqualified” and “underqualified” are job-search code words. Let’s start with “under.” What this is telling you is that you aren’t seen as having a specialty. (And in this market, companies hire only beginners and specialists.) I’m betting that you’ve made your resume as broad as possible, hoping to qualify for lots of positions. This is the “wide-net fallacy.” You’re not overqualified, but under-specialized. Try taking one or two areas from your old company — maybe sales or project management — and focus your resume and networking on those. You’ll soon see that narrowing your search increases your opportunities.

J.T.: And when people tell you you’re “overqualified,” they are testing you. They want you to give them a compelling reason why you don’t plan to jump ship for a better job as soon as one comes along. You have to explain that you want a job you know extremely well where you can be a top performer. It’s all in how you express your response.

Dale: Yes, but I hope you won’t learn to talk yourself down. Look up, not down. The ideal new job is one where you are slightly underqualified, making a logical step forward. Never forget that the best job is one where you’ll have to learn and grow — a position you’ll live up to.