To apply for a job when I don't have all the essential requirements?

[liptolinford]

Is it just going to be a waste of time for me? There's 8 essential criteria, 5 of which I have. The other three are dodgy though

1. Educated to degree level in a related field - it's a job for Communications Officer and I have a degree in Sociology which I could maybe make fit at a push...maybe?
   
   
2. Experience of working in a communications/media/PR field - I currently supervise a switchboard. Does that count?
   
   
3. Experience of the media, NHS and political landscape, including media handling and crisis management - no experience whatsoever. If I get a media enquiry where I work now, I pass it onto the media team. I have no experience of working with the NHS or political landscape.
   
   I'd have to spend quite a while on the application and I'd rather not waste my time if they're going to dismiss it straight away. I'm 50/ 50 whether I should apply or not.
   
   WWYD?!

[Openmindedmonkey]

Do it.
Show how you have initiative & drive to learn, that you want the job & will be an asset to them.
Educated to degree level shows that you can think in a particular way, that your analytical & communication skills etc are at the appropriate level for the role & the organisation.
You must try this, how fab will it be if you succeed?!

[Chorltonswheelies422]

Go for it. Focus on what you would bring and how YOU would add value.

[Katenka]

Point one seems ok

Point 2 and 3 doesn't match up at all.

That said I have applied and got jobs where I haven't fitted all the criteria.

Ywnbu to apply. Good luck

[ChessieFL]

Always worth applying as you don't know what the competition will be. The worst that will happen is you don't get shortlisted but if other candidates also don't have essentials you may get the job! If you don't try you'll never know.

The exception here is where it really is an essential e.g applying to be a bus driver when you don't have a driving licence.

[Redroses11]

So - would you know how to do the job at all?

[MajesticSeaFlapFlap]

I would

I applied for mine having no relevant skills, just similarish

[liptolinford]

Thanks for the encouragement . I'm glad that just applying has worked out for others in the past!

Redroses - having read the job description, I think I'd definitely be capable of doing the job. I can demonstrate examples for most of what they're asking. Some bits though, I wouldn't really know where to start.

[ZiggyFartdust]

Experience of the media, NHS and political landscape, including media handling and crisis management

Of course you have experience, you are a media consumer, you use the NHS, and you vote, don't you? Experience can come from all angles

What do you have to lose?

[SpeakNoWords]

Go for it. Eight "essential" requirements is quite a lot, and I would bet that the recruiter isn't expecting to get someone with all of them. There were one or two items on the job spec for my current job that I knew I didn't have, but I got the job anyway, after an initial phone interview established my strengths.

[TheFridgePickersKnickers]

Go for it. No one will even consider your skills and previous experience until after you've sat one ofthose ridiculous personality tests.

Good luck

[NuckyT]

You've nothing to lose, but it depends what their hiring policy is like. I work with recruitment for a public agency, and our policy states that someone who does not fulfil all the essential criteria cannot under any circumstances be appointed, and shortlisting for interview is based on essential criteria, with desirables usually used as a filter for borderline candidates. That's why when we write job descriptions we are encouraged not to be too restrictive.

[Frazzled2207]

Do it.
i'm a recruiter and it's a very rare thing to find someone who ticks
ALL the boxes imo.

[HeyMacWey]

Do a cover letter demonstrating how you have the experience to do the job despite not having all of the essential criteria.

Perhaps give them a call and see how open they'd be to an application.

[christmasmum]

I would acknowledge and then reassure - so you say, although I don't have extensive experience of handling a media crisis I have the ability to remain calm as demonstrated by... and I would be very willing to undertake ongoing training in order to bring my specific skills to a suitable level. Some thing like that - but you know, actually spend time on it rather than dashing out a mumsnet answer :-)

[liptolinford]

That's it then, I'm applying!

Just went to look at the application form properly and you only get 500 words to demonstrate you can hit the criteria. On top of the 8 essential, there's 17 desirable criteria. Reckon I'm only going to have enough words to hit the essential, if that .

It's not a highly paid job so I get that they wouldn't want the application process to put people off, but how are you expected to fit everything into 500 words? Waah !

[BillSykesDog]

Sorry to be brutal, but I work in that field. You could probably get away with 1. 2 & 3 are absolute core parts of the job though. Go ahead and apply if you want, but I think your chances of getting it will be virtually nil, especially because it sounds like it's in a decent enough organisation (public sector?) where they're going to get a pretty high standard of applicant.

[BillSykesDog]

If it's the NHS, they are really, really strict on criteria too. They absolutely will not go for 5 out of 8 ain't bad. And they will have applicants who meet all 8 too.

[liptolinford]

It's okay to be brutal, Bill. It was something I'd suspected anyway!

Now that it's only 500 words, I'm definitely applying because there's not too much time that I'll lose doing it. If nothing else, it'll pass some time!

[InternationalHouseofToast]

Sorry but I wouldn't, not in this current climate. We have to shortlist only people who meet all the desirables to get applicants down to a resonable number for interview - if we only shortlisted to the essential criteria we'd be interviewing 30+ people for every job.

I work in the public secotr and we can't interview anyone who doesn't meet all the essentials so 5 out of 8 wouldn't get you an interview. Sorry.

[NuckyT]

The key is 'essential' criteria - if it was 'nice/beneficial to have' it would be in 'desirable' criteria.

As above, in shortlisting we put a mark against each essential element of the job description to denote if an applicant does or does not meet it. If the applicant definitely does not meet one or more of these then they cannot be selected.

[motherinferior]

I'm afraid I think you don't have any of the relevant skills or experience - they need comms people with a track record of dealing with journalists and writing releases. Sorry.

[Homeriliad]

I recently got an interview for a job where I didn't have any experience of the first essential experience on their list.

[motherinferior]

Yes: the first essential criterion in this list isn't actually crucial to the job. The second and third are, absolutely. I think you could make a reasons application for a comms assistant - if you're systematic and organised and generally sussed - but I am afraid that the comms officer job is going to require experience.

[friendissues1]

The example you've given in response to 2 op would show me you don't understand what the job is. Do you understand what it is? Number 2 is the most important I think

And no, 'having used the nhs' is not relevant

[nanetterose]

I don't think you have the relevant qualifications.
Especially the number 2.
A switchboard and the media/communications connection is very weak.
however l'd still try. I have a job that requires qualifications that (on paper) l don't have.