Meeting job requirements: should I apply?
You’ve found your ideal job, but do you meet all the listed requirements? And if you don’t, should you still apply? The short answer is yes – read on to find out why.
According to research, men are much better at questioning their suitability for the role than women. The average man applies for a role when they only meet 60% of the criteria, however, the average woman applies when they meet 100% of the requirements.
Firstly, let’s assess the situation.
We’re not saying that you should always apply for a position where you don’t meet all the essential requirements. For example, if you’ve only worked in retail and have no medical qualifications, it wouldn’t be appropriate to apply for a qualified position as a doctor.
However, when it comes to the desirable part, don’t be too hard on yourself. If you’re looking at the job advert thinking that you can do this role, then don’t be put off by not having everything the company is looking for.
Job requirements: weigh up your skills
It’s unlikely that the employer will only be interested in speaking with people who tick every box. You can also assume that many others who apply won’t meet every listed criteria on the job advert.
So, take a look at what you’re ‘missing’ and whether you think your other areas of strength outweigh it.
Consider other skills and experience that may not be listed in the job advert but will clearly be utilised in this role. Make sure you include this in your cover letter, highlighting how you feel this skill will benefit the position.
A good recruiter will be able to advocate for candidates who don’t tick all the boxes but show potential to be successful in the role.
Learn on the job
Your existing experience could be supported by on-the-job training.
This could apply to a specific piece of software used as part of the role or perhaps the product you’re working with. As an example, if you have served experience selling direct products, would that stop you from going into a sales role for a company offering services?
As experienced recruiters, we’ve seen this first hand. A candidate ticks most of the boxes provided by the hiring manager, but not all. However, they’ve been so impressed at interview that the position has been offered with the understanding that training will be given in a particular area.
Transferable skills
Don’t forget to consider how elements of the role you do or tasks you’ve undertaken could demonstrate transferable skills.
This could also apply to any extra curricular activities, such as support you offer to groups outside of work. Are you a member of the PTA? Do you volunteer for a charity or local group?
If you’re missing a ‘desirable’ as part of your day job, but it’s something you have experienced in other ways, make sure you put this in your cover letter and include somewhere on your CV.
Craft the dream cover letter
You might have noticed that we’ve mentioned your cover letter several times throughout this blog.
Use this as an opportunity to complement your CV and join those dots. Tell the hiring manager why you’re applying and why you believe you are such a good fit. Remember, it’s very unlikely that you’ll be the only candidate, so you need to do a bit of leg work to highlight your skills.
Next steps
You’ve been invited to interview – hooray!
Now is the time to start preparing (check out our blog on how to prepare for an interview). It’s very likely that the requirements you’re missing get brought up, practice this scenario. Plan what you’re going to say, examples of transferrable skills, highlighting other skills you can bring and how willing you are to learn.
You’ve not been selected for an interview
Don’t let this knock your confidence. Continue to apply for roles that you know you are capable of, regardless of the list of job requirements.
Good luck!