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>Though I'm not looking for a job right now, I've always wondered how I
>would handle the following scenario:
>
>You see an job ad for a technical writer. As with all job ads, it has a
>list of requirements. You happen meet all the requirements but one:
>
> MUST have 3 YEARS EXPERIENCE with AdobeSoft WordMaker.
>
>You are an expert in the technology that company specializes in. But you
>don't 3 years experience with AdobeSoft WordMaker. And other than that, you
>feel you are more than capable to handle the job.
>
> Would you apply for the position or not?
If you meet at least 70% of the advertised requirements, you have
a chance of getting the job.
At least, that's what at least two headhunters have told me. In
my experience, it's true. Ahtough some HR types will stick
religiously to the list of requirements (possibly because they
don't know enough about the job to know what's necessary), for
many the advertised requirements are a wish-list. In practice,
the company will settle for less.
So, to answer the question: yes, I'd apply.
--
Bruce Byfield, Outlaw Communications
"The Open Road" column, Maximum Linux
3015 Aries Place, Burnaby, BC V3J 7E8, Canada
bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com 604.421.7189
"Reading is the drinking of strange wine."
- Harlan Ellison, "Revealed At Last! Why the Dinosaurs Died (And
You Don't
Look So Healthy Yourself)"