Should I Apply for the Role when I Don’t Meet All the Criteria?
Missing a qualification that’s listed on the job specification was reported as the primary reason why candidates don’t apply for a role. This was seen amongst 41% of women and 46% of men.
Seen a vacancy you love the look of? Scrolling through the job description getting excited to hit apply… until your eyes land on the one point on the job spec that you don’t have much/ any experience with.
The chances are that because of this, you counted yourself out, and didn’t end up applying for the role.
Research has shown that although men and women share similarities in browsing for jobs, women are 16% less likely than men to apply for a job after viewing it, and women also apply for 20% fewer jobs than men.
The reason for this? A report showed that women often hold back if they don’t meet 100% of the criteria, while on average men usually apply after meeting about 60% of the criteria.
However, the most common reason amongst men and women for not applying for a role was due to missing a qualification listed on the job specification. This was reported as the primary reason for not applying for roles by 41% of women and 46% of men during a research study conducted by Harvard Business Review.
Those who don’t apply usually hold back because they feel they won’t be hired without checking off all the boxes, so why waste their time and energy?
It’s not that people don’t feel as if they couldn’t do the job well, in fact, that was the least common answer when both men and women were asked why they didn’t apply for a job they were looking at.
While you might not fit every single point on the job description that’s mentioned, you may have other skills, strengths, qualifications and experiences that could turn out to be a great match for the role!
By putting yourself out there, you might just be the right person for the role or even be considered for a role that could be a better match for you! If you meet the majority of the job description or person specification but might be missing a couple of things, then we suggest that you don’t discount applying in the first instance. Instead, take the time to assess whether the skills or competencies you lack are fundamental key requirements for the job – if they’re not, then ask yourself if you possess the other required skills to ensure you can do the job successfully?
Of course, if there’s several key requirements that you don’t meet then the role is probably not for you.
At T2M Resourcing, we are always happy to have a chat if you’re unsure about the market or your next career steps. Get in touch with us today for a confidential discussion.