ARE YOU QUALIFIED?

Have you ever seen an advertisement for a job that you really want, but you know you aren’t qualified for it? Did you still apply for the job anyway?

In recent research carried out by CV Library, out of 1000 participants aged 18-64, 60% of them had applied for jobs that they weren’t qualified for. Yet, two thirds of these applicants failed to secure that job.

There are a few questions that you should ask yourself before you apply for a job that you aren’t necessarily qualified for. The requirements in a job advertisement are there to give a certain level of structure to the job and in some cases, the employer just wants it to sound good. Some companies even use the job description to describe their dream candidate, not necessarily the person that they are going to hire.

Before you decide whether you do or don’t apply for this job, you first have to think, could you actually do the job? You don’t want to potentially get the job and realise you have no idea what you are doing and compromise yourself and the employer.

We’ve all heard those stories of people who were perfect for the job and had all of the qualifications, but they were beaten by someone who was ‘just a better fit’ for the company. So, this means that it isn’t necessarily all about the requirements, it’s about how well you will fit in with the company as well.

There are some instances when you should not apply for the job. It is better for you to apply for jobs that you do qualify for as you will have a greater chance of success. It will be frustrating when you apply for lots of jobs you don’t qualify for, and you inevitably end up getting no response. It may actually damage your reputation by applying for jobs that you aren’t qualified for. Larger companies often keep your CV on file when you apply for a job, so they may notice that you have applied for multiple jobs and this could come across as you not being serious about the roles.

According to CV Library, Millennials are the most likely to apply for a job they aren’t qualified for (77%), and it was those aged between 55-64 that were the most likely to have their application rejected if they didn’t match the criteria (83%).

Author of ‘What does somebody have to do to get a job around here? 44 insider secrets that will get you hired’ Cynthia Shapiro, has a few things that you should ask yourself before applying for the job. Are you 51% qualified? Do you have over half of the requirements that the advertisement states? If you are missing requirements that are necessary to the job, then you should really obtain these before you apply for the role. For example, a degree or specific qualifications.

Applying for a job that you aren’t 100% qualified for is really a ‘do I, don’t I’ situation. If you follow this guide, then you should be able to make a decision on whether you should or shouldn’t.

We wish you all the best in your job search! How about visiting us at Industrial Personnel to see how we can help?