Should I Apply to a Job If I Don't Meet All the Requirements?

 Recently, a resume client asked me this question:

I am very, critical of myself. I probably would not apply for a job because I don't have all the criteria [listed in the ad]. Should I even try?

HR professionals and hiring managers typically write the job listing ad based on the full job description of the position. This generally includes a very detailed, clear outline of duties and requirements to make the hiring / screening process as direct and focused as possible. It helps identify candidates and weed out those that lack the essential qualifications. If a manager has done their job right, the job description has been written in conjunction with the incumbent who holds that job and a comprehensive job analysis. You are more apt to make it to the interview stage and probably the hiring stage if you possess all the required skills, knowledge, experience, and qualifications.

Okay, so what do you do?

One of the most important factors in your job hunt is your transferrable job skills.

These are the skills you’ve acquired all your life through your education, hobbies, parenting, interests, and career. These skills are both transferrable and applicable to the job you seek. Typically these skills are communication, interpersonal, teamwork, and leadership skills. Make sure your resume and cover letter highlights these skills.

Experience Needed

You don’t have job experience in the field? What about your experience you’ve gained in school, special courses, and volunteer experience. It doesn’t have to be paid experience to list it in your resume. This is especially important if you’re changing jobs or attempting to break into a new industry.

If you can’t get hired in the industry or type of job you want, seek out internships and pro bono work with companies. Contact human resources and managers at the companies for which you’d like to work, let them know you’re interested in learning more about their business and gaining experience and you’d like to establish a part-time, short-term internship. Check with the career services office at your local community college or university and use the web including CareerBuilder.com, Monster.com, Interships.com, and internshipprograms.com to find internship opportunities. Contact local non-profit organizations for internship and volunteer openings. You can stay busy during your job hunting and gain critical experience, skills, and contacts to further your career.

Resume Functionality

Make sure your resume is formatted correctly in order to showcase the skills you do have for the job and downplay the areas you may lack.

A functional resume will work more effectively than a chronological resume in these cases as your skills and achievements are much more important than your job history. RP Executive Resume Consultant specializes in functional resumes for job and industry changers; please contact us at ramsey_penegar@yahoo.com.

Use your resume to show that you are able and willing to learn. Input statements that indicate you are willing to pursue additional training and certification. Tell prospective employers in your resume and cover letter that you are a quick and enthusiastic learner. Being enrolled in specific licensure programs and workshops will prove you’re committed to learning and growing professionally. Check with your local colleges and professional organizations to take courses to enhance your growth and development and hire-ability.

When to Do and When to Don’t

Do not apply to jobs in which you are fundamentally under qualified for, but do keep in mind that job postings are many times an employer wish list. Don’t apply if you have none of the job requirements, but if you shine in some of the qualifications you should consider it. Most hiring managers truly don’t expect applicants to meet every requirement in their ad so if you can illustrate that you are strong in some of the areas listed, you have a good chance of getting called in for the interview.

Final Thoughts

Most importantly, keep a good attitude and be optimistic. Don’t forget to follow up your resume with a phone call to employers. Building rapport will go a long way as people like to hire people they like. Follow up telephone and face-to-face interviews with thank you letters. And most of all, don’t give up – you have dreams to pursue and your diligence and confidence will make it happen!

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Ramsey Penegar is an executive resume consultant and is certified as a professional resume writer by the Professional Association of Resume Writers. She has developed more than 575 resumes for executives all over the United States and for international clients as well. With more than 10 years experience in marketing and sales, she has the skills to build effective job search marketing campaigns and attention-getting resumes.

Hire a Professional Resume Writer

It only takes 10 seconds for your resume to make an impression…what does yours say about you?

Many highly intelligent, capable people - just like you - make the investment in hiring a professional resume writer to take to task the development of an eye-catching, attention-grabbing, interview-landing resume. Of course you can write your own resume - but do you know how it will stack up against your competition's resumes? Will your resume pass the first skim of the 800 or 900 received by the recruiter for one position? Are you including the right buzzwords? Does your resume have a high level of readability?

You are an expert in your field. Let an expert in the field of resumes and recruiting develop your resume.

It's an investment that can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars when you land the job of your dreams. Is it worth it to pay someone who knows the industry standards and knows what hiring managers and recruiters are looking for in a resume instead of submitting a mediocre resume that might get overlooked?

Contact Ramsey Penegar at ramsey_penegar@yahoo.com

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Ramsey Penegar is an executive resume consultant and is certified as a professional resume writer by the Professional Association of Resume Writers. She has developed more than 575 resumes for executives all over the United States and for international clients as well. With more than 10 years experience in marketing and sales, she has the skills to build effective job search marketing campaigns and attention-getting resumes.

Job Search & Resume as a Marketing Campaign

You don’t have to be a marketing executive to build an effective job search, but you need to evaluate and know your own personal marketing strategy. A personal marketing strategy gives you a game plan for your job search.

In a marketing campaign, marketers start by deciding what product they are going to promote or sell. In a job search, the product is you! The best products won’t be successful in the market without a solid marketing strategy and the same is true for your job search. Using your current resume as a base, make a list of your skills, abilities, and knowledge. Why would you hire you?

The next step in building a successful marketing campaign is to know your target audience – to whom are you selling? Make a list of the types of employers and companies who may be seeking an employee with your specific skill set. Are they all within a specific industry? Are there many companies that hire employees with your background?

How do you locate these potential employers? Use the internet, your local Chamber of Commerce, print and online classified ads, networking, recruiters, and other sources to make a list of actual businesses that may be looking for people with your experience and skills. Keep building your list until you have at least 20 – 25 companies. Now, using your own personal contacts from business, volunteer work, school, friends, church, other organizations you may be involved with to make a list of 20 - 25 people who may be helpful to you in your job search.

The fourth step in an effective marketing campaign is to contact potential customers or in this case, prospective employers. Generally, the best way to go is to send a resume along with a cover letter, especially if you’re responding to an ad. If you are working with a recruiter, they will most likely set up a meeting between you and the prospect. If the contact is through a friend or other contact, you will want to decide whether a phone call directly to the person doing the hiring or sending a resume is the best route. If emailing a resume, be polite and send a short introductory email requesting permission to send your resume as an attachment. Many people won’t open unsolicited attachments.

A crucial aspect of any job search is organization. Keeping track of all those names, phone numbers, addresses, and emails is important to do proper follow up. The Minnesota Department of Economic Security has a really neat website full of useful information as well as worksheets to help you organize your job search efforts.

Now that you’ve developed your personal job search marketing strategy and gotten organized, you can move forward. The next step is creating an effective, attention-getting resume package and preparing for interviews!

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Ramsey Penegar is an executive resume consultant and is certified as a professional resume writer by the Professional Association of Resume Writers. She has developed more than 575 resumes for executives all over the United States and for international clients as well. With more than 10 years experience in marketing and sales, she has the skills to build effective job search marketing campaigns and attention-getting resumes.

Years of Experience: Do You Tell it All in Your Resume?

By Ramsey Penegar, Executive Resume and Recruiting Consultant

Your resume is a marketing tool – not a complete autobiography.

An effective resume is focused on your future and what benefits you can bring to the next position, not just a historical summary of your career or what you want to achieve with it. It is best not to list more experience on your resume than is required for the job to which you are applying, as this can be one way recruiters use to eliminate potential candidates from the running. And quite frankly, hiring managers don’t care that you worked for Freddy’s Frankfurters in high school!

Age discrimination is illegal and most employers may not intentionally discriminate on the basis of age, but are more likely to do so if they are given information that makes it easier to do. Many hiring managers have an ideal perceived age for a position and if, based on the information in your resume, they perceive you to be older or younger than this ideal range – you’re out. Recruiters, human resources personnel, and hiring managers are simply overwhelmed with the volume of resumes received for advertised open positions. They are systematic in how they narrow down that stack of resumes.

If you have 32 years of experience and apply to a position that is requesting “a minimum of 5 – 10 years”, you could very easily been labeled as overqualified for the position. More experience usually denotes more age, which equates to a higher salary and higher costs in the minds of recruiters. Furthermore, employers want employees that will stick around for a while and in many minds, an older associate may retire soon or leave due to health reasons.

You must be honest on your resume, but you certainly do not have to list every job you ever held.

 Provide approximately 10 years of experience for management level positions and 15 for executive level positions, but also be cognizant of what the job requires as mentioned previously. This will increase your chances of being called for an interview and that is where you have the opportunity to sell the hiring manager on your overall experience, ability, and knowledge with your enthusiasm and professional demeanor.

Ramsey Penegar is an executive resume consultant and is certified as a professional resume writer by the Professional Association of Resume Writers. She has developed more than 575 resumes for executives all over the United States and for international clients as well. With more than 10 years experience in marketing and sales, she has the skills to build effective job search marketing campaigns and attention-getting resumes.

Cover Letter Tips

By Ramsey Penegar, Executive Resume and Recruiting Consultant

1. Remember, your cover letter is the selling tool to entice recruiters and hiring managers that they should take the time to read your resume. If the cover letter is ineffective, chances are your resume may not even be read!

2. The format should match/coordinate with your resume to project the best, most professional image.

3. Layout should make for desirable reading and letter should not be longer than one page.

4. Beware of capitalizing improper nouns and using proper grammar and sentence structure.

5. Keep in mind that a cover letter and resume are not the place to mention your personal life, marital status, family, age, physical characteristics, non-career related hobbies, sports, etc. This is a professional document and should only include pertinent, professional information about your experience and skills within your career.

6. You should include how many years experience you have and the industries (if applicable to the position) and list several of your top accomplishments and top qualifications.

7. Illustrate the scope of your experience by providing quantity.

8. Take the initiative and tell them you want an interview and that YOU will contact them on such and such a day.

Ramsey Penegar is an executive resume consultant and is certified as a professional resume writer by the Professional Association of Resume Writers. She has developed more than 650 resumes for executives all over the United States and for international clients as well. With more than 10 years experience in marketing and sales, she has the skills to build effective job search marketing campaigns and attention-getting resumes.