Do You Meet the “Qualifications” and Does It Really Matter?

There are some words applicants hear that often frustrate the applicant. Have you ever heard, “you don’t have enough experience” or “you have too much experience”? Did you agree or disagree? Chances are, if you are like me, you were looking for work and needed a person to give you a chance.
Realize most companies are not really skilled in knowing who will really get the job done. Sure they may have certain skills testing and other hoops you must jump through before getting hired, but often the hiring, especially by smaller businesses, is done based on if they like and trust you… not necessarily if you meet all “qualifications”.
Employers want a person who can get the job done. Often when an ad is posted, the criteria or “qualifications” they want are really just that – it is what they want. Many times what the employer wants is a little inflated over what they are willing to hire at. This means that the “qualifications” are listed to help weed out applications and to mainly deter the less qualified but the qualifications are not usually set in stone.
Over the years I have found companies often hired less qualified candidates. As an example, they may say a person must have “4 years experience”, yet if one qualifies for most of the other criteria, they often will still hire that person even if they only have “2 years experience”.
If you find an ad listing a job you feel you would be interested in or a job where you meet some of the listed qualifications but not all, apply anyways. A key strategy is to make sure you address your strengths in the resume and in your interview. Address your strengths as they relate to the posted job qualifications and the wants of the prospective employer.
Similarily, if a job lists a lower salary or wage than you want, apply anyways. What you get paid can always be negotiated. Often, what an employer lists as pay and what they will pay are two different things. Remember, if the employer likes and trusts you, the wage usually becomes negotiable. The employers usually give the lower point of what they are willing to pay.
The key point is to not let the “qualifications” listed stand in your way of applying. Getting your foot in the door for the interview will allow you to interact with those doing the hiring. If you don’t apply, someone else will. And if you don’t apply, you will never get a chance.
TIP – Focus on your strengths and don’t worry if you are not fully qualified… because in most hiring situations it doesn’t really matter as much as what the applicant usually thinks it does.