How to Apply for a Job Without All Qualifications
It's very difficult, and in some situations nearly impossible, to possess all of the qualifications potential employers are looking for. If you don't have all the qualifications for a job you want to apply for, there are a few simple techniques that might just get you an interview anyway.
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Instructions
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Use your education. If you're a recent college graduate, odds are you don't have all of the qualifications for any of the job ads in your field. But you just spent four to five years of your life improving your writing, communication, technical and leadership skills. Use presentations for classes, extracurricular activities, computer programs you learned, and any volunteer work you've done to your advantage.
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Talk about skills you have that can be transferred to the position you're applying for. Even if you don't have the exact experience an employer is looking for, odds are you have had some relevant experience. If the job ad calls for someone with sales experience, but you've never worked as a salesperson, get creative. Maybe you've helped raise money for a charity or recruited volunteers for a local nonprofit. These things take the same essential skills that a job ad for a sales position may be looking for.
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Use a combination style resume. A combination style resume incorporates aspects of a functional resume and a chronological resume. It has sections devoted to your skills and accomplishments, as well as a chronological listing of your employment history. This way, if your skills look great, but you haven't held a position like the one you're applying for, you can highlight your skills and expertise by listing it first and making it more prominent, and vice versa.
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Talk about your flexibility and ability to learn difficult concepts quickly in your cover letter. Think of a real situation you were in where you had to quickly adapt your skills to learn something new, and include an anecdote about it in your cover letter. But avoid making up this anecdote. If you do get an interview, the employer might ask you about it, and the last thing you want is to get caught in a lie.
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Create a portfolio. Most jobs nowadays require good writing skills, for example. Compile some samples of your writing, including samples that are relevant to the job you're applying for, and put them neatly into a binder. Better yet, create a simple online writing portfolio by using free site creators, such as the one offered by Google.com. Creating an online writing portfolio takes minimal technical skills, and the link can easily be added to the bottom of your resume. This shows employers that you are willing to take initiative and go the extra mile, as well as showcases your writing skills.
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Incorporate the employer's needs into your resume and cover letter. In most jobs, you can learn what you need to know along the way, but you still need to possess the strengths that the employer values. Instead of talking about why you want to work for the company, focus on what you can bring to the company. Use your past experiences, as well as your strengths and areas of expertise. This technique can be used throughout your cover letter, especially in the first paragraph, as well as in the Objective section of your resume.
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Tips & Warnings
If you don't have writing samples to include in your writing portfolio that are relevant to the job you're applying for, create some. For example, for a marketing position, you can look up recent events online and create sample press releases to go along with them. Don't worry about the fact that the press releases were never actually published. The employer just wants to see that you can take initiative and, of course, write well.
