Rejected for job - for knowing too much.

(From The Journal)

Byline: KAREN DENT

THEY take years to study for, occasionally result in the shedding of blood, sweat and tears, and in the modern age can leave you saddled with debt for decades.

But having a handful of hard-earned qualifications under your belt is no guarantee of employment in a world teetering on the brink of recession.

It can be galling to miss out on a job because you're not quite qualified enough, but it's a real slap in the face to receive a rejection based on the fact potential employers think you know too much.

With the current dole queue standing at 1.86 million - its highest for more than a decade - and doom merchants predicting the figure will hit three million in 2010, it looks like a lot more of us will be punished for being too clever for our own good.

Job losses have been indiscriminate in this economic climate and the axe has already been wielded across the board, from high-flyers with certificates coming out of their ears to school leavers without any GCSEs.