This week we’re talking about knowing when to apply to a job. Do you need to have all of the experience and listed requirements? How do you know you’re ready?

We’ve all seen job descriptions with a long laundry list of technology requirements. What if you don’t meet all of these? Should you still apply? Is it okay to exaggerate or fudge your experience?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2014/09/22/why-so-many-job-postings-are-so-ridiculous/#17fbf6505ad0

3 Reasons for ridiculous postings

* Inexperience at hiring

* Looking for a unicorn / purple squirrel

* Phantom Posting / just for show

Use your network

70% Rule – Applying when you have the majority of the required skills, but not all. But wait, are women more likely to apply only when they meet 100%?

https://hbr.org/2014/08/why-women-dont-apply-for-jobs-unless-theyre-100-qualified

Hard requirements vs. wish list

Not all requirements are created equal. If they require security clearance or a specific certification, that might not be as flexible. But if I’m familiar with JavaScript frameworks and they require one I haven’t used, I might be able to cram and know the basics in a matter of weeks.

Certain keywords or factors might prevent you even being considered …

* Is it okay to exaggerate on your application / resume?

* Can you discuss a technology you haven’t used intelligently in an interview?

* Last minute cramming on a skill?

* A recruiter sent me a listing I don’t think I’m qualified for. Maybe they know something I don’t

* Years of experience? How strict of a requirement is this?

“I’ve always thought that years of experience isn’t necessarily a good indicator of seniority. That’s only because you can have 5 years of creating Hello, World and you wouldn’t have nearly the same level of experience as someone who has only 6 months of detailed work on a specific language or framework.”

– gaProgMan (Jamie)

Looking at specific job listings. Would you apply?