when you're almost qualified....

[Anonymous]

But miss the mark slightly, do you mention that in your cover letter? E.g. if the posting asks for 15 years experience and at least 5 in management, but I have 12 years total, half in management, should I mention how I can overcome the gap in my cover letter or just leave it off? How much might the specific number of years matter for a upper mid level position in a large non profit?

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't mention it as you're just calling more attention to it. If you have the qualifications, go for it. I have done this one numerous occasions and have gotten a lot of bites, even if I didn't not have the absolute number of years of experience they are looking for.

[Anonymous]

The qualifications are a wish list. Don't call attention to the places where you fall short. Use the cover letter to call attention to all the places where you meet/exceed.

[Anonymous]

Thanks! Wish list is a good way to put it! I meet a high percentage of the qualifications, especially the specific industry expertise, but I was having a had time thinking of anyone who would meet 100% of them. Thanks for that perspective.

[Anonymous]

You must be a woman. I read a study that said that men often apply for jobs when they feel can meet over half the requirements; women applied to jobs if they felt they met all the stated requirements. Just go for it. What do you have to lose?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The qualifications are a wish list. Don't call attention to the places where you fall short. Use the cover letter to call attention to all the places where you meet/exceed.

This is exactly right.

[Anonymous]

Interesting. I'm op and I am a woman. I know when I post a job description to be a junior level staffer on my team, I do want 100 percent, but then again I'm not asking for as much as these higher up positions, like must fundraise and lead a team and do financials and produce multiple research reports each quarter and write op eds and organize a conference and address international audiences, etc etc. I look at the description and feel like no one could do all that single handedly, whereas my husband looks at it and says, perfect, you do most of those things, go for it!

[Anonymous]

I agree with everyone else - go for it! I'm a military spouse who has been "lucky" to find employment, pay increases and more responsibilty with each duty station transfer. In reality I market the hell out of myself, my resume and my qualifications. Any task that I'm not fully qualified for I can learn, quickly and accurately. You can do this1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. I'm op and I am a woman. I know when I post a job description to be a junior level staffer on my team, I do want 100 percent, but then again I'm not asking for as much as these higher up positions, like must fundraise and lead a team and do financials and produce multiple research reports each quarter and write op eds and organize a conference and address international audiences, etc etc. I look at the description and feel like no one could do all that single handedly, whereas my husband looks at it and says, perfect, you do most of those things, go for it!

You may put more thought into it than others, but I also expect that if you were presented with a promising candidate that you really liked, but who only met 70-80% of your criteria, you'd consider hiring that person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You must be a woman. I read a study that said that men often apply for jobs when they feel can meet over half the requirements; women applied to jobs if they felt they met all the stated requirements. Just go for it. What do you have to lose?

I read this too. Go for it! Let them say no; don't do it for them!

[Anonymous]

http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21573524-what-must-change-women-make-it-top-feminist-mystique

See bottom of the 3rd paragraph:
Women tend to only apply when they have 100% match, men apply if they have 60% match.

Don't be that.

[Anonymous]

Everybody is "almost" qualified, and no two candidates would be "perfect" for the role. Just like spouses, there are a lot of people who could do the job. It's all about persuasion and believing in yourself.