6 Ways To Apply For Jobs That You Are Not Fully Qualified For

By Mark Namaswa, 
After scanning job search media like newspapers and online job sites, you finally find a job that falls within your area of expertise. But there’s a small problem: either they ask for five years’ experience when you have three, or ask for academic qualifications that are a shade higher than what you have. Still your conviction tells you the job is within reach. Should you give it a try?


According to the job advice website askamanager.org, the advice is: “Don’t be deterred if you are not a perfect match. Those qualifications are a composite of someone’s idea of the ideal candidate.”

The site’s advice then points to certain exceptions saying: “There are degrees of ‘qualified’. If they want 10 years of experience and you have two years, this probably isn’t the job for you. But if they want 3-5 years of experience, and you have two years, and you can write a really good cover letter and point to excellent achievements in those two years, go ahead and apply.”

Is this true? HR Managers put the matter into perspective.

Job Search laptopAccording to Paul Kiairie, HR Ashut Engineering, it is still advisable to give a shot at a job where you may slightly fall short of the demanded qualifications. “It will be stated in the job advertisement the skills and qualifications that are required for the job but an individual will always know what he is capable of doing,” he says.

“Relevant experience needs to be highlighted properly in the CV because many times HRs might not find the exact person they are looking for,” says Mr. Kiarie. “Sometimes we advertise but the personnel who fit the description are not available. It even gets to a matter of two people who fit the bill so the one closest to the requirements is picked.”

However, Ms. Liza Shaka, HR Monarch Insurance says this scenario occurs very rarely and only in fields with scarce talent. “Particularly rare skills in the sciences such as actuaries, and hydrology,” she says. And given Mr. Kiarie’s predominantly science-oriented area of engineering, this might be true.

“When writing out your application for a job you don’t exactly qualify,” Ms. Shaka advices, “start with your achievements first. If you feel you score highly in experience or management that may compensate for what you lack; make that stand out in your CV and cover letter.” Ms Shaka opines that even though it is good to be honest about your shortcomings for example academic ones, it pays to state what you are doing about that.

What if the job requires 7 years of experience and you have three years? Ms. Shaka responds: “The range between five and seven years is comparatively close but the most important thing for an applicant to do is spelling out your achievements in order to make up for the deficiency in experience. Do not cook the experience but come up with something that can be quantified.”

Still Mr. Kiarie points out that before employers place a job advertisement; they usually conduct an internal and external assessment of the job requirement. “There are internal relativities and a job is pegged on that. Employers look at what is needed at the workplace and match the available human resources, skills and qualifications. They also pair that up with the salary expectations and what can be attainable from the job market.” These also factor in when it comes to hiring the candidate.

If you do not fit the exact qualifications, “Show how you are upgrading your skills, mention all the relevant training you have undertaken to improve yourself and if not, say what your plans are for doing the same—it definitely gives you an edge. Ensure though, that what you are stating is the truth. Remember, no one wants to hire people who are content with their current skills and are not doing anything to update them,” says Ms. Shaka.

“The first point to think about before applying for jobs you under qualify for should start with the question: what makes you under qualified? Is it academics or skills and experience? If that is the case, work on continuously improving skills and updating your qualifications. There are many qualified people out there, strive to be the best.”