Job descriptions are pretty generic. That makes it hard to figure out if you are a good match and whether you should even bother applying. You may read the job requirements and doubt that you are the right fit, or you may think, “This is me! I’m the perfect fit!”
How can you figure out whether it’s worthwhile to apply, and if it is, how can you give it your best effort?
[See: 25 Best Business Jobs for 2017.]
Peruse the list of qualifications. Think of a job posting like a recipe. This list is of the main ingredients for a candidate. If you don’t have the main ingredients, you can’t make a recipe, right? Maybe you can substitute here or there, but overall, if you don’t have the majority of them, your dish isn’t going to turn out right. The same is true if you’re a candidate. If you don’t possess about 90 percent of the ingredients listed, you have a slim chance of making the cut. If you have a strong connection at a company who insists he can get you around missing qualifications by presenting you to the hiring manager or human resources, it’s possible, but you’re still going to be compared to other candidates who may have greater qualifications than you. That brings us to the next point, which is essential for everyone — referral or not.
Cross-reference and revise your resume. This is so critical, yet so few people do it. Even if you are 100 percent convinced you’re the right match for the job, an employer won’t know that if it’s not actually written down on your resume. The qualifications tell you exactly what they are looking for, so it’s easy to know what your resume should say. Any qualifications that apply to you need to be specifically stated in your resume.
How can you do this? If they want someone with over two years of tax experience, don’t make them calculate your work experience. Write how many years of tax experience you have in your career summary at the top. If a posting says you must have strong experience with Salesforce, and you do, it better be in your resume. Otherwise, how will they know? Give them as much relevant information about you as possible to make their job easier.
[See: The 25 Highest-Paying Jobs That Don’t Require a College Degree.]
Follow directions closely. On the other hand, if you don’t have a strong base in Salesforce and the job requires it, why are you applying? It’s not that you can’t take a course or learn it, but if the employer clearly needs someone with solid knowledge of it, you’re not going to make the cut. Remember the golden rule from school: follow instructions closely. If you’re still convinced you can do the job despite not having the majority of the qualifications, dig deeper. Try to find a connection at the company. If you don’t have one, find a recruiter on LinkedIn and write to them about the specific job posting. Describe briefly what your background is and ask if they would be willing to take a look at your resume.
Align your transferable skills. There will be cases where you feel your skills are transferable to another industry or role, so you may not want to entirely give up on an application. However, you absolutely must make the connection between the skills listed in the requirements and what you’ve done to make it clear to the employer you can do the job. Here’s an example: You’ve worked in retail customer service roles and you want to apply for an administrative job in an office. Read through the requirements carefully and check off any that you’ve done or feel you’re capable of. For example, communication and problem-solving skills are important for both types of roles because you’re dealing with people and resolving issues. You must demonstrate examples in your resume of your communication and problem-solving skills and actually use the words “communication” and “problem-solving” when you describe them. If you check off a requirement that you think you don’t meet but feel you are capable of, you must come up with a personal example that aligns somewhat with the requirement to show that you have that skill — and use the skill words from the job description.
[See: 7 Excellent Sales and Marketing Jobs for 2017.]
The key to figuring out if you’re a good match is paying careful attention to the job requirements. The key to showing to the employer that you are a good match is coming up with examples of where you’ve demonstrated each of the job requirements and writing those explicitly in your resume.
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4 Steps to a Successful Job Application originally appeared on usnews.com