What if you’re not actually under-qualified?
You just need to look at things differently
You find a job that, on the face of it, looks like a good fit. You’re interested in the work, and you can see yourself doing the job well.
Then you read the job description. And it has things like:
Five years’ experience
A particular qualification
Experience managing a team
Knowledge of a specific system
Previous experience in the sector
At this point, it can be easy to think you don’t tick the right boxes and choose not to apply.
Before you rule yourself out, it’s worth looking more closely and taking a different angle.
What is the job ad really asking for?
It’s easy to consider the job requirements as a checklist of experience and qualifications where you need to tick every box with a directly related response. But if you reframe it as a list of skills, then you can be more flexible.
Take a requirement for project management experience, for example.
Reading between the lines, that might actually mean the employer wants someone who can manage deadlines, coordinate different people, deal with problems and keep work moving when plans change.
You might never have been a project manager. But…
Perhaps you’ve organised a large event, coordinated a website project, taken a piece of work from an initial idea through to completion or been a team leader. Or maybe you’ve done something non-work related like raising a family.
If you’ve done any of the above, you won’t have the direct experience, but the chances are you will have those skills. Anyone who’s tried to wrangle more than one child will tell you that you need excellent project management skills!
The question is not simply whether you’ve had the same responsibility before. It’s whether you can demonstrate that you can do the work the employer needs done.
Sometimes you do have to acknowledge that you just can’t do it
This isn’t an argument for ignoring job requirements and applying for any role that you like the look of.
Some requirements really matter. If a role requires a professional qualification, specialist technical knowledge or substantial experience that takes years to develop.
In those cases, you probably have to acknowledge that you aren’t the right candidate.
Next time you are job seeking, consider whether you can tick some of the boxes
Next time you look at a job ad and like the look of the role, don’t automatically rule yourself out if you don’t tick all the boxes. Ask yourself:
What will I actually need to do in this role?
What evidence do I have that I can do those things?
What am I genuinely unable to demonstrate?
If you can evidence most of the requirements in some way, and there is nothing specific to rule you out, then consider applying.
If you do decide to apply, your cover letter and a tailored CV are your chance to show the employer at first look that you can do the job. Explain how the experience you do have can fit the needs the employer has, and create comparisons between the role you’re applying for and the roles you have listed on your CV.
You may still decide not to apply. But you’ll be making that decision based on the actual requirements of the role, rather than treating every line of the job description as a pass-or-fail test.