Job adverts usually describe the employer’s ideal candidate, but finding someone who matches every single requirement isn’t always possible. Some skills are essential, of course. If a role requires a particular professional qualification, driving licence or technical certification, there may be very little flexibility. Other requirements, however, may simply describe the experience the employer would ideally like someone to have.

This is where transferable skills become important. Perhaps you haven’t used the exact software mentioned in the advert, but you’ve used something very similar. You may not have worked in that particular industry, but you’ve performed essentially the same role elsewhere. You might be missing a couple of years of the experience requested but have progressed quickly and taken on considerably more responsibility than your job title suggests.

Don’t rule yourself out before the employer has had the opportunity to consider you.

At the same time, I’d always recommend being honest. Don’t change your CV to imply experience you don’t have or hope nobody asks about it at interview. Instead, explain what you can bring to the role and demonstrate that you’re willing and able to learn the things you haven’t done before.

This is also one of the advantages of working with a recruiter. We can speak directly to the employer and explain why we think someone is worth meeting even when their CV isn’t a perfect match. Sometimes the experience that looks slightly different on paper turns out to be exactly what the business needs.

I’ve seen plenty of candidates secure jobs where they didn’t tick every box on the original specification. Employers recruit people, not checklists, and enthusiasm, aptitude and transferable experience can count for a great deal.

Final Thought

If a job genuinely interests you and you meet most of the important requirements, don’t reject yourself. Let the employer decide whether the experience you bring is enough.

Photo by Jakub Żerdzicki on Unsplash