Some people don’t apply to positions they want because they feel they aren’t qualified, even though they meet 75% of the requirements. Women, minorities and younger workers are especially susceptible. They believe you have to be 100% qualified to be considered for an advanced job level. Not true. Even if you don’t fully meet all of the requirements of a job, very few do. Think of it this way: If you meet 100% of the requirements of a job, it means you’ve already done the job and are moving laterally. Only those who meet MOST of the requirements are the ones who are motivated to put the time, effort and energy to meet or exceed the performance expected of the job.
What do you do about it? Have a career conference with your manager and human resources person at least twice a year. Contact your network, especially those who are a step or two higher or with more experience. They are the ones who know what’s going on and how you might work your way into a better position with the 75% rule.
During an interview, when asked, “Have you ever done this?”, or “Can you do this job?”, never say “No”. Describe an experience that comes the closest to the requirement, or give a parallel experience that shows you have most of the skills and experience required. Make the point that all you need is a little training or supervisory support.
So, where are the jobs? Career Builders have analyzed the data to give you a clue. Don’t forget, there are both locational jobs and remote jobs depending upon your industry, function and location. It seems that Texas has the most posted jobs. Why? There is tremendous growth of businesses that are expanding or plan to move to Texas. Well over 100,000 Texas jobs are looking to be filled.
When assessing job opportunities, one way is to find the ratio of job openings to unemployed people. Why? Because the lower the number of unemployed, the smaller the pool of people that will apply to a job in that state. The top 10 states for jobs are: North Dakota, South Dakota, Georgia, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Alaska, Nebraska, North Carolina, Kansas, and Tennessee.
The states with the fewest number of open positions to the unemployed, making a job search more difficult are: California, Nevada, Louisiana, New Jersey and New York.
What should a plan look like?
- Identify those skills that you must have in order to give you the next higher level of experience. Achieve those skills in the next 6 months
- Define the skills or experiences over the next year that will set you apart from your peers. Get those skills on-line or through volunteering at a non-profit.
- Describe where you want to be in three to five years. Put a strategy together, both in-house and externally that will move you closer to your career goal.
You can’t achieve your ultimate career goal unless you have a plan, and work it diligently.
For a FREE confidential critique of your resume, send to: wkaufmann44@gmail.com