You Do Not Need All the Qualifications Listed in the Job Posting
If you are looking for a job and find a potential job that meets only some of the requirements, apply. In the worst case, you won’t get the job. At best, you are hired – and you find yourself in a position in which you can grow.
To quote cognitive scientist Art Markman of the Harvard Business Review:
Organizations expect people who are new to the position (and especially newcomers to the firm) to move into the position. They want new hires to ask many questions, seek mentorship, and even make a few mistakes as they get used to the position.
This means that you should look for positions that will stretch you, and not those in which you can already check all the boxes.
Markman notes that you need to have at least some of the skills that are required for the job – and, in my experience as a job seeker and someone who has looked at a resume for several years, it helps if you understand what skills you need to master. compared to what you might find out at work.
For example: I was hired as Executive Assistant to the Vice President of a Think Tank after serving as Assistant Artistic Director at the Shakespeare Festival. Although I had no experience in politics, I did have experience of helping someone at the highest level of the organization. This skill was important for the position; other skills could be learned after I started working.
In other situations, working in a specific field or industry may be more important than having certain skills. For example, being a good writer does not necessarily mean being a good grant writer. Previous fundraising / development experience – knowing what a well-executed grant looks like, understanding what potential donors need, etc. – can be an important skill set you will need to be hired.
When deciding whether to take a job, ask yourself if you have the basic skills you need to be successful in that position. Then ask yourself, as Markman suggests, if the job will be problematic enough to help you move on to the next stage of your career.
If you don’t meet all of the requirements stated in the job posting, don’t worry – and don’t let that stop you from applying.
In the end, the worst thing they can do is say no.