Which job would you apply for?

[Arbeity]

I am currently looking to move companies in order to find progression and better career development opportunities, which are zero at my current compay.

An excellent company local to me is having a big recruitment drive and I have identified two jobs I would like, but can obviously only apply for one. But can’t decide which:

Job 1: More senior, entry level management grade and one step up from the grade I currently work at. Reading the job description, I have experience in doing the vast majority of the job role, albeit some of it on a smaller scale (eg project management of multiple smaller projects than listed) and feel relatively confident about my ability to do the job well. It would be a step up and require development, but that is what I want. But then the advert lists a list of specialist skills in addition to all that and I only have experience of 4/5 of the 8 criteria in that list. The specialist skills listed are different to the skills described in the job description blurb.
Eg job description talks about strategy development and the skills list says “regulatory & financial reporting”

Job 2: At the same level to what I am currently working at. It is related to job 1, in that the output of job 2 informs job 1 and the two roles would be working together. I can do 100% of the job and have demonstrable experience meeting all the criteria. In fact, it is pretty much an expansion of part of my current role. My current salary is in the middle of the band for this role, so I would be wanting to come in close to the top of the band if I get the job, which doesn’t feel like it leaves much for progression in the role itself and I think I would be looking to move up after the novelty of a new company/technical challenge has faded. It may be easier to do that in this company, would I be “wasting” 2ish years of valuable career time?!

Both opportunities offer significant improvements in pension, maternity, flexible working benefits.

I think I am mentally struggling with the leap into “management grade” (those are the jobs that real adults do!), but am ambitious and want to progress into that type of role. What would you do?

I'd apply for both.

Sorry, why can't you apply for both ?

Apply for both and then get more info during interviews about which would suit better

If you really feel you can't, then job 1 and if unsuccessful ask about job 2. Do they have same closing date?

If you can’t go for both, go for job 1. They may consider you for job 2 if they don’t think you’re ready for job 1. But they wouldn’t be likely to consider it the other way around.

Apply for job 1 if that's where you want to be. I read somewhere that men will apply for jobs even if they don't meet many of the skills descriptors whereas women tend to only apply for roles they meet practically all of the criteria for. Not assuming your sex OP but if you felt like your overall career goal would be a role like 1, then why not go for it? In your application you could demonstrate ways you have the majority of the skills and really promote your abilities (not sure if it's the done thing as you don't want to focus on where you are lacking, but you could always say how you'd develop the skills you may not have now.)

Apply for both or if not allowed apply for job 1

Job 1 for sure. Good luck!

I thought it would look like I wasn't committed if I applied for both jobs. I did it once just out of uni and the hiring manager told me "it wasn't a good look".

The closing date for job2 is 2 weeks after job 1. So if I got a swift rejection for job 1 then I could potentially apply for job 2 at that point.

@SimonedeBeauvoirscat that is a good point about potentially being considered for jobs below but not above

I am also heartened by the fact that nobody yet seems to think I am ridiculous for considering job 1!

Both

I would apply for job 1. Strategy development can mean a lot of different things from very simple strategies (we're going to implement x to improve / reduce y) to developing long term plans and projects with a multimillon £ price tag. Likewise financial and regulatory reporting is usually just presenting figures, often in a pre-set format (think lots of tables of numbers) so if you do any sort of progress report / monitoring as part of your project management I'd use that as experience.

Thanks @emmathedilemma. I think you are right, I find it hard to apply for jobs like this because just telling people what you are doing becomes "reporting". I need to get over it really.