How to know if you should apply for a job (or not)

The other day a client and I were searching for jobs together when she told me she literally came across a job for a “Remote Embalmer.” 

Wtf.

I’m still laughing about it (clearly). 

When you’re window shopping for a new role or actively searching, reading through job descriptions to determine whether or not you fit the role can be mentally and emotionally exhausting. Which is why I want to impart some wisdom on how to know if you should apply for a job - beyond staying away from remote embalming jobs.

One: You don’t need to have all of the qualifications to apply for a job. 

Many career resources will tell you that your skills need to match 80% of the required job duties. I find percentages like this to be paralyzing. Unless you’re looking at a job that has straight-forward hard and technical skill requirements (like UX design or copywriting), it can be hard to assess where you match up. You may judge yourself unfairly, overthink it, or count yourself out and not apply.

Speaking of percentages, you’ve likely seen this statistic: 

“Men apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the qualifications, but women apply only if they meet 100% of them.”

The common theory around why women don’t apply is because they lack confidence. Tara Mohr, leadership coach and author of Playing Big, looked into this and found that it wasn’t because women lacked confidence. It’s because women have been socialized to follow the rules and to have certain beliefs about the hiring process. 

"They [women] didn’t see the hiring process as one where advocacy, relationships, or a creative approach to framing one’s expertise could overcome not having the skills and experiences outlined in the job qualifications."

Two: Relationships count a lot when you apply for a job. 

In my opinion, submitting “cold applications” is a waste of time. Even if you pass the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) keyword game, having an inside advocate gives you a boost of credibility.

I routinely encourage clients to make a connection with someone at the organization/company either before they apply or after they’ve submitted their application.

Sleuth on LinkedIn for company connections.

On LinkedIn, head to the company page and click on “People,” You can search by role, department, function, location, hiring manager, who your potential manager might be, etc. Once you find this person (or a couple people to increase chances of getting a reply), head to their profile to see if they’ve had any recent activity on LinkedIn. If If they’re active on LinkedIn, you can either make a connection request and add a note - OR - DM them. In your note or message, you’ll say something like:

“Hi! I see that you’ve been working for [organization name] for [time frame]. I recently applied for [role] and I’m wondering if you’d be open to a 15 minute chat about your experience so far. If so, I can send along a scheduling link to make it easy to find time. Thanks!”

Make your own scheduling link for successful connections.

Whenever you ask someone to chat with you, you want to make it easy for them to find time with you. You can do this by creating an online scheduling link, by using Google Calendar's Online Appointment Scheduler, Calendly, or something equivalent. I recommend creating an event called “15 Minute Connect” - that way people know it’s only 15 minutes.

Make sure you have a list of questions to ask them, including what their favorite aspects of the organization are, how company leadership has responded to any recent challenges (maybe you can reference something you’ve seen on social media or in the news), and anything else you’re concerned / curious about.

Don’t go over 15 minutes. Respect their time. And send them a thank you note.

If LinkedIn connecting is not working…

If LinkedIn is not fruitful, ask around to see if anyone has a connection they can introduce you to. You could try Elpha.com, posting anonymously (or with your name if you're comfortable) in a Facebook group (for example, where I live in Durham, NC, we have Network Women of the Triangle), or asking your training/education institution's alumni center if they can help.

 Bottom line: Avoid “cold” applying as much as you can.

Three: It would be really boring to know how to do 100% of a job.  

Think about it - one of the most gratifying aspects of work is to learn and grow your skills. In fact, opportunity for growth is one of the most common reasons people start looking for a new job! Unless you’re at a point in your life where you want to sustain what you have and need a break from constant development and professional improvement (go you! love this, btw), finding a role that you can grow into is key.

You don’t want to set yourself up to be bored in 6 months because you were too intimidated by a stretch role.

This is also why we need to encourage each other to apply for roles that seem too big for us at the time. Companies are looking for high potential, trainable talent, not know-it-alls.

Four: Job descriptions are not always accurate. 

When was the last time you worked a job that fit the original job description exactly? My guess is there were some differences between the role and the original description you applied for. These differences can be attributed to: who wrote the job description, what the needs were at the time it was written vs. when you were hired, and the unique talents you have to offer. I like to think about it like shopping for jeans. I wear a different size in every brand and style. They’re the same clothing item - and - fit me completely differently (depending on the day of the week and how much cheese I’ve had 🤣). So don’t take the size / job description / title super literally…which leads me back to point #1).

Hopefully I’ve helped you know whether you should apply for a job or not. We can be quick to say “no” to ourselves. I don’t want that for you. If you don’t trust your own judgement, get a trusted friend to weigh in. Be sure to send them a copy of your resume if they aren’t super familiar with your skills and experience!