why you don't need to meet all the job requirements
Who has never been desperately looking at job offers without finding the perfect fit? We have all experienced this feeling of not being "good enough" or not having what it takes to get the job of our dream. But is this feeling relevant? Do we need to correspond at 100% to the job offer's requirements?
We have all been there
One of your biggest concerns as a college graduate is probably landing your first job. And when you look at the qualifications in many role descriptions, you may start to worry and think that there’s no way you’ll get a job at all.
The pressure of applying your theoretical knowledge
You have probably taken some classes that you believe will help prepare you for your first job. Unfortunately, most of what you need to succeed in your work involves skills you never took a class to achieve. The qualifications for entry-level jobs, many of the items on the list may be things you have not yet come across. Even if you have all the technical skills covered by your study, your future employer will probably use tools that go beyond what you have studied.
Should you give up then ?
Certainly not. It is important to remember that not having all of the qualifications doesn't mean you should not apply for that job. Employers know that the perfect candidate doesn't exist, they just want to get as close as possible to it.
Too many people, especially women, focus on jobs that they are overqualified for – and that’s a mistake and can lead to becoming stagnant in your career.
It's all about closing the gap and learning
An up-going path in the workplace requires consistent acquisition of the set of skills needed to take on the next position. Learning these skills when you’re in a position for which you are overqualified for won't help you so look for a position that will stretch you, not one where you can already tick all of the boxes.
It is valuable to treat new positions as a challenge, to continue learning and treat difficult tasks as a lack of skill (which can be trained) rather than a lack of talent (which cannot).
Plus there are other qualifications that you will be rated on like personality and if you are a fit for the team, which can still make you a great candidate.
Basically, it is useful to treat job advertisements as though they are a set of guidelines about what a position involves and not a strict list of requirements that any applicant must have. So don't be discouraged when reading the list of skill requests for your dream job and remember....you can never change the game unless you get in the game.