Re: Do you answer 100% match jobs only?

[Tom Murrell <trmurrell -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

--- "Marc A. Santacroce" <santacroce -at- earthlink -dot- net> wrote:
> 
> Please give me some insight as to whether it is even worth answering ads
> for which there is not a perfect match.

Marc,

As always, the answer is, "It depends." Personally, I treat requirements in a
job advertisement as a wish list. "My ideal candidate will have all of these
skills..." Most hiring managers know that it's not all that easy to find an
ideal candidate. They expect to take the best fit they can find.

Now, in today's job market (remembering a thread on TECHWR-L from last week, I
believe) they may be able to come very much closer to their ideal candidate
than they could a year ago, but they are still very often going to settle for
the best fit they can find in the time they have to get someone on board.

I apply for all jobs I find interesting (and if I've been out of work for
awhile even the mundane jobs are interesting enough after awhile; momma likes
to see those checks coming in <g>) as long as I have enough of the skills that
they claim to be looking for. For example, you want a Technical Writer who can
read C++ and translate 'hit or miss' developer comments into usable system
documentation? Well, I don't know C++, but I've learned over a dozen
programming languages in my long and sordid career. I can learn C++ at least
well enough for documentation purposes. So I'll package what I DO know in such
a way that they'll at least want to talk to me. (Besides, I believe I can study
up on C++ quickly enough that I can come on board with enough knowledge to do
the writing job. Now, all bets are off if what they REALLY want is a C++
programmer who can document his code. I'm probably not interested in THAT job,
unless I'm REALLY HUNGRY.)

So, yeah, I'll apply for jobs I'm not 100% qualified. What I don't know that I
need to know I can learn fairly quickly. Most of the potential employers I talk
to seem smart enough to realize that I can be a contributor quickly. But if
they can find someone closer to what they think they need, they don't hire me.

Keep in mind that a lot of getting a job is a numbers game. You gotta go
through a number of interviews and applications that don't lead to a job in
order to get the job you want. Don't be afraid of rejection. If you don't
apply, you won't get an interview, and if you don't get an interview you can't
get a job.

So, if you like the ad, apply for the job. What do you have to lose?

=====
Tom Murrell
Lead Technical Writer
Alliance Data Systems
Columbus, Ohio
mailto:tmurrell -at- columbus -dot- rr -dot- com
Personal Web Page - http://home.columbus.rr.com/murrell/
Page Last Updated 07/15/01

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