Should I apply for a role when I meet most requirements? It's a big step up and I'm panicking!

[SSHandWC]

A friend mentioned to me that her workplace is looking to expand the department that I would like to specialise in, and she works for a really good company so she referred me to the hiring manager as part of their referral scheme.

I've just got an email from the hiring manager with the full role profile asking me to reply with how my skills and experience align and I'm nervous!

I've done about 90% of the main responsibilities before, though in a company of around half the number of employees but the remaining 10% I have never done before.

I've been told by previous managers that I don't promote myself enough and I do suffer from imposter syndrome.
I think I could learn the 10% on the job as there are very clear guidelines on what to do, and the rest I think I could do even though it would be a massive scale up and challenge.

Do I go for it? I wouldn't lie, but would learn as much as I could about the 10% which is regulatory reporting...

My hands are shaking and I feel torn between racing for the laptop and start writing back to the email or just forgetting about it.
I'm not very happy in my current job but the people are nice, though there is no progression at all.
WWYD?

Congratulations! That's great news!

Apply! For goodness sake! They wouldn’t have phoned you if they didn’t think you could do it. And your friend wouldn’t have recommended you either - she doesn’t want to risk her own reputation by suggesting rubbish candidates.

NOONE has 100% of the skills needed for any role. It’s a well-known fact that women don’t apply unless they feel they have 80% of the skills listed for a job. Men go for it with anything up to 50%.

Please apply for the job and forget about the 10% that you think is missing. It’s not. That’s your development sorted for the first year.

ETA: glad you’ve applied! And really glad you’ve got a date set for a chat. Just relax. It’s a conversation to find out more about you, and for you to find out more about the role. You’ll be fine.

Oh well done! Must admit I’m not too sure how to prep for informal chat as it’s not how we recruit but I’d do some research on the company, values/ethos etc as well as the hiring manager. Is the company on glass door? Hiring manager on linked in?
im sure you’ll be fine! Just think about what YOU have to offer. Good luck!

Except there is research to show that on average men will apply for jobs where they only met some of the criteria whereas women are more likely to only apply if they meet closer to 100% of it.
There’s nothing wrong with pointing that out!

Well done and good luck @SSHandWC

Go for it! I was in the same position 4 years ago. Saw a job, I met most of the criteria, applied thinking I’d get nowhere but I got it! 25K pay rise overnight.

I can’t pretend I don’t still have massive imposter syndrome because I do but I can do the job and I do it well. Passed my 6 month probation and now almost 4 years later have more responsibility and an extra 15K. My pay in my previous role has gone up 10K in that time so I’m now 30K a year better off. Worst case scenario is you don’t get it.

This is amazing! Well done OP. As i said, I really recommend the Interview Boss podcast there's episodes covering all sorts (including informal chats) which should be able to help you.

For me, go through everything, write down answers, prep questions and answers with friend/relative, do a dummy interview.

Oh go for it and good luck! 🤞

I’d see it as a chat but have answers prepared (eg STAR) just in case they ask.

@AlexaStopAlexaNowow sexist and racist

@SSHandWCi went for a job last summer that was a significant pay rise (more than 50% increase) and I’d only really done 50% of the requirements before. The only reason I had the confidence to apply was that I knew the person in role and they encouraged me that I could pick it up.

In the interview I was clear and honest about what I had and hadn’t done and they apparently liked that. I also gave examples of where I’d previously done something completely new and how I’d approached that. They asked me how I’d deal with new areas and I talked about training/speaking to professional advisors/using resources etc. They’ve since told me that they really liked my attitude and that when hiring, curiosity and a willingness to learn is more important than directly applicable experience.

Finally, there were 13 applicants (quite a niche role) and none of them had done 100% of the job description before! So go for it and be confident !

Sadly HR make you dream up these lists of "requirements".

Most managers want someone with any "necessary" qualifications, and the right attitude.

Everything else can be learned on the job

Haha I’m currently wearing a t shirt that says ‘May you have the confidence of a mediocre white man’ 😂😂

So edgy

I'm a mediocre white man, and always made sure I could cover the top half of the list

True though 🤷‍♀️