Have you ever applied for a job you didn't quite

[DawnM]

meet all the requirements for?

 

I was going to get specific, but I would like to hear any of your stories first.

 

Did you get the job?

How did you get them to look at your resume?

What did you do to stand out if you weren't 100% what they were looking for?

 

[Elizabeth86]

:lol: no, but dh was telling me about this guy at work that put in for a position to be their hvac guy and he had never done hvac work. He ruined like a $45,000 something? and he still has a job there just not doing hvac work, but they did move him to something he still doesn't know anything about. Omg. Just don't lie as bad as this guy!

[cjzimmer1]

My husband has done it many times (and gotten the jobs) but I'm sure it is job specific as well as what aspect of the skills you are missing.  My DH is IT, they often ask for the moon as far as skills and years in various technologies.  Realistically no one will ever have every single item on the list with the amount of experience requested.  Once someone even listed as requiring 3 years of experiencing in a technology that had only been available for 1 year.  I can guarantee no applicant met all their requirements on that one.

 

We also look at the overall job description.  Could he do that job with his current skills?  Is the missing skills a key component to the new job or just a side part of it.  Can it be learned quickly?  DH has often learned a new skill from the time he applied until he actually interviewed for it.  Yes he won't be super strong but at least he can be conversant on the topic.

 

Really your goal is to write your cover letter to accent as much of your current skills that match what they are looking for.  If you've got the main parts, you should be fine to apply even if you don't have every little item.

[Lanny]

Did you get the job?  Yes

 

How did you get them to look at your resume? A Job Shop Recruiter submitted it to the Client corporation, with my permission

 

What did you do to stand out if you weren't 100% what they were looking for? During the phone interview, I asked the Hiring Manager what Hardware they were using and which computer language they were using. He told me. I told him, "You have my resume, you know I do not have that experience"

 

After I started working there, when I met with the Manager, I discovered he needed something completely different than what they'd told the Job Shop.  Possibly he had several openings and I fit one of them better than the one the job shop knew about?

 

That was a household word company. They are very high in the Fortune 50 list.

 

I agree with post #3 that frequently the requirements they list for Software Engineers (that's what I was) are so long that it would  be impossible for any one person to have ever seen all of those things, let alone done them. The requirements are written to get someone who doesn't exist, or, because they are looking for multiple people. Or, because they want to bring in people on H1B Visas...

[OH_Homeschooler]

I doubt most people meet all the requirements of jobs they apply to. Well, except when the job description was written specifically for them! 

 

I've gotten jobs I didn't fit all the requirements for, and I've gotten very far in the interview process for others where I seemed an unlikely fit. In those cases, the hiring manager said something like "You're not our typical candidate, but we're actually looking for something a little different."

 

I think the single most important thing I did in those cases was to write very good cover letters. I drew links for the employers between my experience and their needs, that they may not have otherwise seen on the resume.  

 

If in doubt, apply! The worst they can do is turn you down.

Edited December 4, 2017 by OH_Homeschooler

[MEmama]

This is very timely for me!

 

**listening**

[Carol in Cal.]

My experience is--

It's a lot easier to do this in industry than for the government, which tends to be a lot more 'dot the i's and cross the t's' about hiring.

 

However, my husband got a government job that way.  What happened was, the hiring manager hired him for a brief, intense part time gig, and then asked him to apply for a permanent fulltime position. 

Since he really wanted him, he tilted the job description toward my husband's specific qualifications.

DH still was missing one of the desirable ones, but with the rewrite so was everyone else.  And he got the job and thrived there for 13 years, which his competitors probably wouldn't have.

The bottom line was, he was lucky to get that offer but also they were lucky to have him.

 

It really helps to be in personal contact with the hiring manager in cases like that.  Actually, it helps no matter what.

[Element]

Doesn't every single college grad feel this way right out of school?  :lol: 

My dh applied to manage the office of a huge retail store. He had a degree in Accounting, with a focus on Accounting Info Systems. He looked at the job requirements and tried to make his experience fit. They said that a business degree was a business degree and he did get the job. I think what helped him was that one of the HR people recognized his name, in his case from some community work he'd done. (He had previously volunteered for a couple of well-known organizations in the community. His volunteer work was the highlight of his otherwise quite slim resume.) It ended up being a perfect fit for him, and he has turned his position into one of an auditor and he runs a very tight office. Everyone benefited from his not-quite-business-Business-degree. 

[G5052]

Several times. It depends really on what the hiring official wants. Sometimes they have listed a bunch of capabilities, but some are not as important as others. Sometimes the ad or position description was written by someone else.

 

Once I applied for a job that I was pretty underqualified for IMHO, but a friend worked there and called the hiring official on my behalf. I had a phone interview the next day, and to my knowledge they didn't interview anyone else.

 

I'm applying later this week for a position that I'm overqualified for in some ways, and under qualified in others. The hope is that it may balance out. It was advertised before, but not filled. I called HR, and they said they are going to open it up again to applicants mid-week.

 

Some of the jobs I'm currently applying for are state and federal jobs, and those are very regimented. Everything depends on an HR person evaluating your application and resume against the set criteria. The hiring official isn't involved at all until the interview stage.

 

Job hunting is not an exact science, by any means.

Edited December 4, 2017 by G5052

[SparklyUnicorn]

Yes, but I was already working at the place (in a completely unrelated dept).  It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

 

I say go for it anyway.  Nothing lost on doing so.

 

 

[bettyandbob]

If it is in a government or other organization that uses computer sorting the application that does not have all the requirements may not be looked at all.

[Annie G]

My best friend just relocated and got a new job. She almost didn't apply because she was missing a big requirement. But she applied anyway and when she got the call to interview she mentioned that she was missing that requirement. The HR person said she knew that but my friend was otherwise well suited for the job and she ended up getting it. 

 

Go for it!

[Ali in OR]

I've read articles that say that basically men are very willing to apply for jobs where they have a subset of the desired requirements but women feel like they have to have the entire set of requirements to even ask about the job. Just think like a man and tell them about what you CAN do--don't worry about what you're missing.

[Twolittleboys]

I've read articles that say that basically men are very willing to apply for jobs where they have a subset of the desired requirements but women feel like they have to have the entire set of requirements to even ask about the job. Just think like a man and tell them about what you CAN do--don't worry about what you're missing.

 

This is so true and in my opinion one reason why women often have a harder time advancing than men (as it also applies to performance reviews etc.)

[threeofakind]

Yes and yes!  In my cover letter, I highlighted my strengths and what I could offer to the position.  And then hoped for the best!  And it worked out.

[Crimson Wife]

My last employer interviewed me for the job and ended up hiring the other finalist, but creating a junior position for me. When annual performance review time came, they promoted me to the original position I'd interviewed for.

 

This was, however, back before electronic resume screening. Today I'm not sure I ever would have made it into the interview pool.

[Seasider]

I have been recruited for a job or two that I didn't have all the necessary skills for, but I believe the people who recruited me considered me interested and trainable.

 

I think with a good introduction or cover letter, it's possible to express that you are interested and willing to stretch and learn new things. That may cause them to consider you a reasonable candidate. I'd hire a smart, reasonable, teachable person any day over a smug know it all.

 

As long as you're not trying to pass yourself as a neurosurgeon or, you know, someone who has unique, developed-over-the-intense-long-term skills, as others have pointed out.

[Seasider]

Oh I'd say you definitely have to be honest about what you don't know. You can't intentionally misrepresent yourself and hope it'll turn out ok.

Edited December 4, 2017 by Seasider

[OrganicJen]

No I would never do that. I worked as a corporate recruiter for a time and I had to read resumes sent in regarding positions I was hired to fill. It was nothing personal, but I literally put any applications that didn't meet the requirements I had posted into the shredder. There simply wasn't the time to even look at those applications for many reasons, including that for the jobs I was hiring for being able to read and follow instructions was important and I felt that if I stated in an ad that X and Y were required then it should have been clear that X and Y were required qualifications to apply. So from my experience it is really a waste of everyone's time when people ignore the list of minimum requirements for a job. I've also unfortunately been on the end of unwittingly hiring someone who I later discovered lied about their qualifications to get hired then wasted a significant amount of my time and money before I discovered their fraud. I'm not suggesting that is something the OP would do at all of course, I just think I take the whole job application thing more seriously than other people might because of some of my personal experiences. Maybe it's not a big deal to other people when someone applies to a job without all the requirements and I'm just overly sensitive about the whole issue, I have no idea really.

Edited December 5, 2017 by OrganicJen

[Crimson Wife]

No I would never do that. I worked as a corporate recruiter for a time and I had to read resumes sent in regarding positions I was hired to fill. It was nothing personal, but I literally put any applications that didn't meet the requirements I had posted into the shredder. There simply wasn't the time to even look at those applications for many reasons, including that for the jobs I was hiring for being able to read and follow instructions was important and I felt that if I stated in an ad that X and Y were required then it should have been clear that X and Y were required qualifications to apply. So from my experience it is really a waste of everyone's time when people ignore the list of minimum requirements for a job. I've also unfortunately been on the end of unwittingly hiring someone who I later discovered lied about their qualifications to get hired then wasted a significant amount of my time and money before I discovered their fraud. I'm not suggesting that is something the OP would do at all of course, I just think I take the whole job application thing more seriously than other people might because of some of my personal experiences. Maybe it's not a big deal to other people when someone applies to a job without all the requirements and I'm just overly sensitive about the whole issue, I have no idea really.

 

Except the applicant doesn't know which are "hard and fast" minimums and which have some wiggle room. I can read and follow instructions just fine, but employers will sometimes put in things in a job description that are merely desired but not actually required.

 

I agree with you about lying on one's resume/application.

[DawnM]

No I would never do that. I worked as a corporate recruiter for a time and I had to read resumes sent in regarding positions I was hired to fill. It was nothing personal, but I literally put any applications that didn't meet the requirements I had posted into the shredder. There simply wasn't the time to even look at those applications for many reasons, including that for the jobs I was hiring for being able to read and follow instructions was important and I felt that if I stated in an ad that X and Y were required then it should have been clear that X and Y were required qualifications to apply. So from my experience it is really a waste of everyone's time when people ignore the list of minimum requirements for a job. I've also unfortunately been on the end of unwittingly hiring someone who I later discovered lied about their qualifications to get hired then wasted a significant amount of my time and money before I discovered their fraud. I'm not suggesting that is something the OP would do at all of course, I just think I take the whole job application thing more seriously than other people might because of some of my personal experiences. Maybe it's not a big deal to other people when someone applies to a job without all the requirements and I'm just overly sensitive about the whole issue, I have no idea really.

 

I can see why you would think this way.  For this particular situation of MINE, it is more about not having the qualifications under the "strongly preferred" section, not the "min. requirements" section.  I meet those.  

[bettyandbob]

I can see why you would think this way.  For this particular situation of MINE, it is more about not having the qualifications under the "strongly preferred" section, not the "min. requirements" section.  I meet those.  

 

If you have the minimum, but not all the "preferred" there's no reason not to apply. They may not get a bunch of applicants with all the "preferred" requirements. You may end up in the interview pool with some people having the preferred requirements, but maybe you will interview better. Definitely worth a shot. 

[StephanieZ]

FWIW, I've read numerous times that this is a big thing that holds women back professionally . . . apparently men (on average) will readily apply for jobs that they have some/much/most of the "requirements" for whereas women will hold back and not even apply unless they have nearly all or all the posted requirements. 

 

Lots of times, folks get hired who didn't/don't have all the listed requirements. 

 

So, my suggestion is to GO FOR IT. If you don't get an interview, what have you lost? If you get the job . . . you've gained A LOT!

[rocassie]

Yes.  I met most of the requirements, probably about 90%.  I didn't lie, but was very upfront about willing to learn.  I did get the job, but only months after applying. 

 

The company actually had a really difficult time filling the position because what they were requiring did not align with current market salaries.  In addition, they were a small company so no growth in terms of career advancement.  Several people declined the job offer for these very reasons.  Six months after I submitted my application, they called and asked for an interview.  I went and they offered the job to me directly following the interview.  I really enjoyed working there and the company culture was a great fit for me.  That 10% of the requirements that I didn't have experience didn't greatly affect my job performance.  It was quite easy to learn, and by the time I left 7 years later, those programs and regulations were obsolete.

[KungFuPanda]

Men do this ALL THE TIME.

[OrganicJen]

I can see why you would think this way. For this particular situation of MINE, it is more about not having the qualifications under the "strongly preferred" section, not the "min. requirements" section. I meet those.

I think it's worth applying then. There is a big difference between qualifications that are listed as required and preferred. Good luck!

[maize]

I've read articles that say that basically men are very willing to apply for jobs where they have a subset of the desired requirements but women feel like they have to have the entire set of requirements to even ask about the job. Just think like a man and tell them about what you CAN do--don't worry about what you're missing.

This is what came to my mind--research showing men regularly apply to and are hired for jobs for which they don't meet all the qualifications, but women don't

 

Here is a relevant article:

 

https://hbr.org/2014/08/why-women-dont-apply-for-jobs-unless-theyre-100-qualified

[OrganicJen]

Except the applicant doesn't know which are "hard and fast" minimums and which have some wiggle room. I can read and follow instructions just fine, but employers will sometimes put in things in a job description that are merely desired but not actually required.

 

I agree with you about lying on one's resume/application.

I wasn't refering to qualifications I listed as "desired", I was refering to qualifications I listed as "required." I don't think the word "required" should be confusing to an applicant. But again, like I said I think I'm more bothered about this type of thing than the average person since for that period of my life I was reading hundreds of applications a week for the various positions I was working to fill.

[Arctic Bunny]

I can’t think of a job I’ve had that I was actually qualified for.... and now I’m not sure if that’s sad or not!

The first one was while still in university. I had applied everywhere under the moon halfway relayed to my field for a summer job, just hoping to get a little experience to put in my portfolio. They called me out of the blue to do a term replacement, which then led to my very first full time permanent position.

 

After that it has been reliability and willingness to learn and occasionally, right place, right time. But reliability has been huge. And all those volunteer positions really help out there.

 

This new career I’ve just started... I don’t actually know what the qualifications were... I spoke to the manager, was willing to take a 90-day contract and jump through all the hoops to get hired, and -once again - be willing and able to learn.

[scoutingmom]

I wasn't refering to qualifications I listed as "desired", I was refering to qualifications I listed as "required." I don't think the word "required" should be confusing to an applicant. But again, like I said I think I'm more bothered about this type of thing than the average person since for that period of my life I was reading hundreds of applications a week for the various positions I was working to fill.

Except often employers say required when they mean desired. But then, I worked in the IT field where, as noted, the required qualifications were unlikely to be possible in any applicant.

[scoutingmom]

I applied for one that was part of a government program that provided incentives to hire post-secondary students for the summer time. With that program you were pre-screened before you could apply with the company. The pre-screener knew I didn't have all the requirements.... but there would have been very few students with the requirements that they sent me on. I did well at the interview, but didn't hear anything. I took a different job, then got the call that they wanted to hire me. I turned them down.

 

Another time I did have all the requirements. This was again a summer student job. They wanted a student from my specific school having taken specific courses. It was a 2 year program, and 1 course absolutely required for the job was an option course in the second year. I had taken it with permission in my first year because I had credit for some first year courses from another school. I was literally the only possible candidate with the requirements for the job and the program on the planet.

 

My brother applied for a job that he did not have the experience or requirements. He was fresh out of Post-Secondary and this was a supervisory position. It was with the provincial government. He got an interview (they have to interview so many people before hiring. It is also common practice for requirements to be written to fit the person they want to hire). He did not get that job, but they liked him so much, that they created a job for him.... wrote the requirements of that job to fit him, and recommended he apply for it. He did get that job.

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

[lauraw4321]

Yes. And I got the job.

 

Proceed with the confidence of a mediocre white man.

[kiwik]

Men do it. My experience is the things they list are just a wish list and often quite impossible for people to meet - we want a new graduate with at least 5 years experience etc or we want someone with 20 years experience prepared to work on call 24/7 for minimum wage while being able to solve complex taxation issues. Just apply with a cover letter drawing attention to the skills and qualifications you do have.

[xixstar]

My spouse, then dating partner, did this when we were first dating. He was contentedly unemployed and I made some comment about how I would not date someone that didn't work.

So I was helping him look at job positions and he showed me one that I remember being annoyed by because he wasn't qualified for it beyond some bare minimum, like he had the right degree and thats it, but had no relevant experience in the field at all beyond small element of a part-time hobby. I felt like he was just wasting time just to look like he was trying .... well, it's been like 13 years since and he's still there. lol. 

Can't say how he set himself apart other than he is good at finding a way to make things work, whether he really knows how or not. 

[AMJ]

meet all the requirements for?

 

I was going to get specific, but I would like to hear any of your stories first.

 

Did you get the job?

How did you get them to look at your resume?

What did you do to stand out if you weren't 100% what they were looking for?

 

 

Apply for the job, especially if the things you think you fall short on can be learned on the job.

 

Many times employers will list every qualification that could help in the position, in hopes of finding candidates that have more than one of them.  The job descriptions are usually of their ideal candidate; they don't necessarily count on getting that ideal candidate.  If they get a candidate that has much of what they are looking for and can learn on-the-job, then they will be happy with that candidate.

 

Apply for the job, and focus on how you can fill that job and grow as an employee in it.  Even if you don't get the position you will learn something from the process, and learning to talk yourself up is an essential skill to have when job-hunting.

[OH_Homeschooler]

No I would never do that. I worked as a corporate recruiter for a time and I had to read resumes sent in regarding positions I was hired to fill. It was nothing personal, but I literally put any applications that didn't meet the requirements I had posted into the shredder. There simply wasn't the time to even look at those applications for many reasons, including that for the jobs I was hiring for being able to read and follow instructions was important and I felt that if I stated in an ad that X and Y were required then it should have been clear that X and Y were required qualifications to apply. So from my experience it is really a waste of everyone's time when people ignore the list of minimum requirements for a job. I've also unfortunately been on the end of unwittingly hiring someone who I later discovered lied about their qualifications to get hired then wasted a significant amount of my time and money before I discovered their fraud. I'm not suggesting that is something the OP would do at all of course, I just think I take the whole job application thing more seriously than other people might because of some of my personal experiences. Maybe it's not a big deal to other people when someone applies to a job without all the requirements and I'm just overly sensitive about the whole issue, I have no idea really.

 

I can understand how it would be inconvenient for a recruiter to receive applications from people who are not qualified. But it takes what, 2 minutes to read and trash a resume? I'd certainly risk wasting 2 minutes of a recruiter's time if it meant I could get a life-changing job. 

[madteaparty]

Proceed with the confidence of a mediocre white man.

Best life advice ever.

[Julie Smith]

I did once, and got the job. 

 

It was for teaching college. They were looking for someone with 5 years experience in HTML or Javascript. I forget which. I pointed out that at that time even the person who created it didn't have 5 years experience. 

 

For awhile it seemed places were just wanting X about of experience in something, not taking into consideration the only way that would be possible was time travel.