Career advice

This has happened to all of us at some point. We discover an advertisement for a job that looks like it would be perfect for us, except for the fact that we don't have all of the required qualifications. It's disappointing, but perhaps the next opportunity will be a better fit.

Maybe you shouldn't give up so easily. It turns out that there is a solid chance you can still be interviewed for a job even if you don't meet all of the stated requirements. In fact, you may only need about half of the requirements listed in the posting.

This is particularly important to note for female candidates. Women tend to only apply for those jobs where they meet all of the qualifications the employer is seeking. By contrast, men are more likely to throw their hat into the ring for positions where they believe they can contribute – even if they don't have all of the official requirements.

According to Harvard Business Review, men will apply for positions if they have as few as 60 percent of the required qualifications, while women hold out for those jobs where they meet 100 percent. Even the 60 percent may be more than you need.

Here is why – and how you can successfully apply for those positions that you are not fully qualified for.

The qualifications conundrum

Employers frequently inflate the requirements they ask for in their job postings. Sometimes the qualifications listed in the job description are just a wish list of credentials that a dream candidate might have. Often these are unrealistic. Employers know that they are asking for more than applicants are likely to have.

One reason for this practice is to use the inflated requirements as a screening tool. Online job postings often receive far more applications that a hiring manager could reasonably read through in detail. So, asking for exaggerated qualifications is used to discourage some lesser-qualified candidates from applying, leaving the employer with fewer – more qualified – resumes to consider.

As we saw in the stats above, this also tips the balance in favour of male job applicants as they are less likely to filter themselves out of consideration.

Another reason that employers might request degrees, skills, and certifications in their job postings that aren't actually required to perform in the role is simply that those attributes might be nice to have. They are shooting for the moon. If that dream candidate somehow comes along, they will hire them. However, it is more likely that they will select a candidate who doesn't have the complete 'wish list,' but who seems like the best fit for the role.

So, how many of the job requirements do you actually need? The team at TalentWorks analyzed the job postings and resumes for over 6,000 applications across 118 industries to find out. Their research revealed that while having a resume that fits the requirements for a position is necessary to be interviewed for the job, you don’t actually have to have all of them.

Those candidates who had fewer than 40 percent of the qualifications requested were less likely to be interviewed. However, when job seekers applied for jobs where they had between 40 and 50 percent of the job requirements, they were 85 percent more likely to land an interview than those who had less than 40 percent.

Those candidates who held 50 – 60 percent of matching qualifications were an extra 192 percent more likely to get an interview over the 40 – 50 percent matches.

Notably, those star candidates who actually had just about all of the credentials and qualifications on the employer's wish list were no more likely to be interviewed than those who only had 50 percent of them. Applications with 90 percent of the qualifications listed in the job ad were interviewed at the same rate as those with just 50 percent.

There are some key takeaways from this data. One is that employers who value a truly equitable and diverse workforce should rethink the strategy of inflating the requirements in their job ads. This disproportionately discourages women from applying for the position.

Another important lesson is that job seekers who hesitate to apply for jobs where they don't quite have all of the required qualifications could be missing out on valuable opportunities. Rather than filtering yourself out of contention for a role, you should feel fairly confident applying for jobs where you match 50 percent of the requirements. The data shows that having more than that doesn't actually boost your likelihood of being interviewed for the position.

How to apply for a job that you are underqualified for

First off, only apply for those jobs that you can actually do. Before applying for any position, be sure that you understand the nature of the job, the tasks required, and the specific challenges that someone in that job would face. Employers routinely say that among their biggest pet peeves is receiving irrelevant job applications. That doesn't mean being underqualified, it means resumes from job seekers who seem to have no connection to the actual position.

Don't be one of those.

Once you have determined that you understand the job and can be successful at it, write an application that demonstrates this to the employer.

Customise your resume for the specific job. Highlight those abilities and qualifications that you do have that can be assets on the job. This includes your transferable attributes that can be beneficial across industries. These include both hard and soft skills such as communications, relationship-building, and project management.

Are you a whiz with Excel and balancing spreadsheets? Can you create a dream PowerPoint presentation and speak eloquently to a room full of people? Have you led a team, managed a budget, or provided excellent customer service? These are all highly sought-after abilities and accomplishments that are not limited to any one particular industry. Focus on the abilities you have that can be most useful for the position.

Similarly, describe your on-the-job achievements that are most relevant to the job you are trying to be hired for. Regardless of qualifications, it is almost always your accomplishments that will stand out the most. Showing how you are a candidate who has consistently delivered results in your previous roles is what gets employers' attention.

Your job application should show that you understand the role and you have the experience and ability to excel at it. This is true even if, on paper, you don't quite have the complete wish list of requirements asked for in the job description. You only need about half of them.