To apply for a job if you don’t meet all the criteria

[WaspLady]

I’ve seen a job I want to apply for which has an online application form not a CV, I feel like I have really relevant experience that a lot of other people applying wont have but don’t meet one of the essential experience criteria. Is there any point applying? It’s an internship if that makes any difference. I actually did a short work experience placement with a different team within this organisation last year and got on really well but I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to ask the manager I was working with to give me a reference as I’ve been self employed since then so it’s difficult for me to get a recent professional reference?! Any advice gratefully received!

Men don't query applying if they don't meet all the criteria - you shouldn't either. If the criteria are essential, and your other experience is not quite enough to compensate you will be sifted out. But there is no harm in applying. If you don't apply you have no chance. If you do, there's always a chance!

Well if you don’t apply you certainly won’t get the job.
If you give it a go there’s a chance

Yea absolutely go for it. As above, there have been studies that show that men will apply for jobs if they most but not all of the essential requirements whereas women tend to rule themselves out. If you have other relevant, transferable stills, just highlight those.

Just give it a go. I've been offered positions I was completely unqualified for —my mentality going in has always been that I'll pick it up as I go along and that's never failed me.

Do it !

Lots of evidence that men apply for jobs they don't meet all the criteria for AND they sometimes get the job.

Also it's a seller's market in many areas of the job market at the moment.

so Go Go Go and good luck

Yes go for it. There’s a stat like men apply if they meet 6/10 criteria and women don’t even if they meet 9/10.
Be honest and explain how your experience applies and willingness to attend training etc.
I’d also ask for the reference.

I would apply, you have nothing to lose. Often we put stuff on our job adverts as essential criteria, but will hire people who don't have it, if they have other relevant or generally useful experience.

It does also depend on what the relevant criteria is. I mean if the job is as a Russian translator and the experience required is to speak Russian, and you don't have it, then probably best to give it a miss.

I read some advice that said if you meet every criteria, you're probably overqualified anyway. You want a role that you can do but also gives you room to develop - go for it!

Seriously it has nothing to do with men vs women but everything to do with job specs being wish lists.

Frankly very few, if anyone, ever meets all criteria and often job specs aren't updated or wholly accurate. The fact is, most companies hire on personality, so just go for it.

@SamanthaCaine a few studies have been done into this as part of looking at the gender pay gap and one of the reasons men get ahead quicker is that they are more likely to apply for jobs even if they don’t meet all the criteria.

Go for it OP, fingers crossed for you!

Thank you all so much. I’m definitely going to apply for it, I’m just worried about getting to the interview stage and having nothing to say about that particular requirement!

Do ask for the reference.

If it's a public sector job, don't apply unless you have all the essential criteria, as they won't shortlist you. Otherwise, go for it and good luck.

This isn’t necessarily true. I’m a public sector manager and very few people I have recruited this year have met all the essential criteria listed. The calibre of candidates has reduced massively since the pandemic , especially if it’s an on-site role with no wfh option. It’s a job seeker’s market! Go for it!

I’d really look carefully at it and that should impress that you’ve thought about it.
Unless it’s very niche you probably have similar experience you can use. Read up a lot on it do you can talk even if you haven’t actually done it. Or if it’s a qualification look up courses so you can say I’m not x qualified but I meet all the requirements and there’s online courses starting immediately I’d be happy to take. Good luck.

Go for it.

As other posters have said woman don't apply for a role unless they are 100% certain they meet 100% of the criteria whereas men 50% (not correct % but its a huge disparity none the less)

We also get coached on how to write a job spec as it can also put women off and hinder D&O

Definitely apply for it and definitely ask your old manager for a reference.

When filling in the application form, you may as well be frank that about where you don't meet the criteria but show enthusiasm and a willingness to develop professionally, especially as it's an internship. Otherwise, address each point on the person spec in full, even the seemingly less relevant things like health and safety awareness etc, as there's often a scoring system and many people lose points on those.

If this is a public sector job, don't overlook the importance of answering anything around diversity and inclusion - we're required to ask a question about this in the interview in my organisation.

This is often true but not always. Agree with PP that we've had real struggles with recruitment, so an otherwise strong applicant may make the shortlist for interview.

"Lord grant me the confidence of a mediocre white man."

I agree even public sector I wouldn’t be put off if you have all but one essential.

Definitely apply. The only circumstances where I wouldn't would be if the criteria was an essential qualification that you'd need to actually be in the role (eg being a qualified lawyer/nurse/teacher etc for one of those roles). If it's just experience then do it! I only had about 2/3 of the 'essential' experience required for my current role (quite a specific area of commercial law) but they still bit my hand off because my other experience was so good and I clearly had a lot of transferable skills/the ability to pick up anything I didn't have existing experience in. 1.5 years later it's going brilliantly!

Also, do ask for the reference! Why wouldn't you?!

@AgnestaVipers - I say this all the time!

Apply!! And I’d speak to the person there you know too, ask if you can get some time to chat with them about the role, ask questions, let them know you’re keen 😊

Re the reference it was just a 2 week work experience placement through my university. I think I got in really well and they seemed happy. I just wasn’t sure how it would look to ask someone in the same organisation for a reference as they work closely with this team so I thought it would seem like I’m trying to work my way in somehow. I’ve never worked in a ‘professional’ role before and really have very little experience of networking etc so not sure what’s is or isn’t appropriate!

No I’d definitely ask. What have you got to lose. That’s one of reasons for that type of placement a chance to see them and them see you. You obviously enjoyed your time and are looking for a permanent role in their organisation.

Please apply!
I used to be a university lecturer in a vocational subject and towards the end of the would watch the students applying to their first jobs.
It was exactly as the research says. The women would apply for the starter jobs. The men would apply for those and ones you would think were way out of their league. Sometimes they got them. There also tended to be more competition for the entry level jobs so the men’s hit rate for the higher level jobs wasn’t noticeably worse than that of the women for the lower level ones.
The majority of these were public sector btw.