As a jobless person, you spend most of your days eyeballing several job sites on the web. You carefully read the want ads, looking for something that matches your experience and abilities.
But what if the requirements meet most, but not all of your particular skills sets? Do you not apply? Or do you apply anyway, hoping whoever is hiring will take a chance on you?
This is a tricky question. You don’t want to waste your time or the time of the HR person. However, there are some things you should know about job hunting in 2010.
First, most companies have online submission programs, whereby applicants are chosen based on keywords. Therefore, a real human being may not even see your resume. (Kinda takes the human out of human resources doesn’t it?) What those keywords are depends on the particular company and position looking to be filled.
And sometimes when I read job requirements, I wonder if anybody could conceivably be qualified to fill the position. Seriously, a bilingual computer programmer with a masters in journalism and 10 years of reporting experience at national wire service? All for the top salary of $40K? A friend of mine once sent me an ad for job with the tagline, “Shall I walk on water, too?” What are these companies looking for? An employee or a superhero? Alas, there is probably some smartypants out there who can meet those qualifications. Does that mean the rest of us cannot be employed?
However, I once read an article that quoted an HR person candidly saying that she didn’t expect applicants to meet all requirements for a job. Several times I’ve gone on interviews where the interviewer conceded he or she was not looking for someone who met all the criteria. Bravo.
For instance, I applied for a job at newspaper for bankers. The ad requested someone with financial reporting experience. But during the interview, the editor admitted he was really looking for someone who had general business reporting experience (like me), not necessarily someone who wrote specifically on financial issues. Of course, I didn’t get the job. They hired someone out of college with only an internship behind him.
Considering the surge toward online publishing nowadays in journalism, a major requirement is familiarity with CMS (content management systems). CMS is basically a computer program that allows an editor to input copy so that it appears on a website. Then there is SEO, search engine optimization. SEO enables your articles to pop up on search engines like Google ahead of the pack. But what does that have to do with journalism? Sounds like they want a computer programmer, not a writer.
Now, I myself am familiar with the terms CMS and SEO, but I have not worked with them directly. I’m not a techie, but I have learned computer programs in the past and can do so with proper instruction. Has this held me back? Yes and no.
Some editors have told me point blank that they will only accept someone who has that specific skill, no exceptions. Yet others have said they were willing to train a new hire on CMS. The only way to know if a company takes that particular stance is, well, by applying for the job. Some companies are extremely picky; others not so much.
Being unemployed, should you apply for a job that may be a tad below your professional status? Again, why not? Unless the ad specifically states it’s an entry level position, give it a try. Sometimes the descriptions are a bit vague. It may seem as if the company wants an experienced candidate, but when you interview, it becomes obvious they are looking for a less experienced (and cheaper) applicant.
And let’s face facts here: Since I’ve been out of work for nearly a year, I have to accept the reality that I may have to take a job below what my experience level would dictate. This is no time to be prideful. I need a job.
Look, any HR person has more than enough opportunity to weed out unqualified candidates before a call for an interview is ever made. Another way a company can pare down its list of candidates is via pre-interview phone calls.
In today’s job market, HR departments have to expect an overwhelming number of applicants for any open position. It’s their job to ferret out the qualified candidates.
In any job, there is always a learning curve for a new hire. But companies and supervisors are lazy; they don’t want to train new people. That’s just silly in my opinion. Even if a person has done the exact same job at another company, his or her new firm has different systems and procedures that must be learned by a rookie employee.
Another thorny issue is whether to include your salary requirements, thus taking the chance you may price yourself out of the job. Many times a company will not consider an applicant unless he or she includes a base salary. It's like the company is looking to hire the lowest bidder, not the most qualified.
As someone who has been looking for a job for nearly a year, I will send my resume to any job I think I have a good shot at getting, even if I don’t match all the requirements set out in the employment posting. I have nothing to lose, and quite possibly something to gain—a job.
Yet, over time, I have become more discriminating. Since most of my experience is in trade journalism, I avoid applying for jobs at consumer pubs, even though I believe there is no reason why I couldn’t work at a consumer magazine or website.
After all, I’m not applying to be a brain surgeon. Just someone who can report and write on a variety of topics. I have more than 20 years experience doing that, so why can’t I get hired?
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