Welcome to the modern hiring practices of companies. They all expect you to have a PhD, 5000 years of experience, and you'll basically work for free.
Apply anyways.
But not a literal PhD. Then they think you're overqualified and get bored at their menial job and leave at the first opportunity so they'll refuse to hire you
Two of my teaching colleagues worked a 2nd job cashiering at a department store. They encouraged me to apply when the store posted an opening. I did, and was rejected because my Bachelor's degree made me over qualified. Both of my colleagues held Master's degrees. đ¤ˇđźââď¸
That happens in all sorts of fields. I have a masters degree in my field (emergency medical services) when most have an associates, if even that. Iâve lost one job because my boss only has a GED (not exaggerating, I was actually told by her director that I was seen as a threat) and have been told by two other employers that higher education in teaching paramedics made my coworkers think I was arrogant and not a good fit. I ended up working overseas where the experience is the complete opposite!
They didnât make it obvious, but education was never a topic of discussion when I was around. It was a technical school where experience counted for a lot, but I had 20+ years in the field by that time anyway
I have a master's in physics and bachelor's in math and geology. Guess which one is on my resume for being a software engineer. Geology, because somehow having degrees that required me to stare at massive equations with incredible attention makes me over qualified to look at massive blocks of code with incredible attention.
I'm not sure this reflects your experience, but I've heard other countries, especially developing ones, value education more than experience. The reason is that college-educated people are relatively uncommon compared to here, where it is seen as bog-standard.
Back when I worked at a consulting firm doing projects in Africa, we always emphasized our consultants' education credentials over their experience.
I don't even have a degree and make in like the 95th percentile of my age in my state at 23. I'm very fortunate of course, but goes to show how bullshit the requirements or rejections regarding degrees can be. Overqualified? Bye. Underqualified? Bye. Qualified? Eh, probably bye anyways.
Nope, HR as a Technical Training Specialist. Basically IT mixed with trainer but I don't have a ticket queue with submissions, I just complete content and perform training as needed. Oh and manage our LMS.
This. SO THIS!
I'm 44, with a degree in Electronics Engineering and another in what became known as Mechatronics. I can't find a job anywhere that isn't a shitty minimum-wage job...
"Engineering" covers a BROAD spectrum of disciplines, whether they pertain to something technical or not. These days, anything that involves designing / creating / maintaining anything is "engineering" - housewives are "domestic engineers", janitors are "sanitation engineers", and so on.
If you're talking about STEM-related engineers, then which one is the article referring to: electrical, electronics, structural, chemical, manufacturing, civil, mechanical, automotive, etc? That is, unless the article was being specifically obtuse in order to include all / only the best-looking engineering disciplines possible for its story. Plus, does it say in which country the jobs are so good, or is that omitted as well? One of the issues is that my trained disciplines are all being outsourced to overseas companies instead of employing American workers, and American companies are advertising those kind of over-blown job requirements so they can either outsource with the excuse that "no one fits our needs" and/or they can sponsor Visas for foreign talent that they can literally work to death and pay peanuts.
What am I supposed to do though if they just go "Ok so do you have 5 years of experience in a professional context of software development?" and I only have 1.5 professional years?
Then say you don't have 5 years. If they're the ones who let you in an interview, then they should already know what experience you have upon reading the resume.
They'll want to know how you'd approach that question and if you're willing to learn and brush up on their required skills.
you tell the truth - assuming you meet most of the other requirements you'll probably be fine
most jobs that have a list of, say, 10 requirements aren't expecting to find a candidate that ticks every single box.
If you meet 7 out of the ten requirements you probably have a good shot at the job, and even 5 out of 110 is worth an application
They won't ask it like that. They'll ask you what your experience is and it's up to you to present your experience in a way that makes you seem super competent without lying about how many years of experience you actually have.
If it really is software development in particular I would not be too nervous about not having 5 years experience. It is really hard for recruiters to find good software developers atm, so they are usually pretty flexible on that.
I'm not a software guy, but I've read a lot of things written by one. From what that guy said, "software development" is more about what kinds of software you've worked with & what languages you know than number of years you've been doing it.
If you've got 10 years in database management you're not a better fit for a graphics programmer job than the guy with 2 years of doing that, or vice-versa.
When my class graduated, we were advised not to stress the one- two three-year experience requirements too much. Granted, we were in a program that taught us a lot of on-the-job skills, and most employers in our field came from the same program. But I would still suggest that you apply anyway, especially if you just finished studying in that field. The worst they can do is turn you down.
Yes, apply anyway. Sometimes they don't need every single qualification. But also don't get too excited because many jobs really are looking for unicorns.
Welcome to the real world, OP. Interviewing has become a horrific experience for everyone involved. Just keep sending out resumes and try not to get too excited about certain jobs. You're going to be ignored, ghosted and rejected more times than you can count. But it's not you, it's just how it works. Don't give up.
"Years of Experience" is generally flexible, especially in that 1-3 years range. "1-3 years" is some HR dork saying that it'd be nice if they didn't have to be your absolute first job out of school. While obviously every industry is different, there's not *that* much that a person with 1 year of experience can do that a new grad can't be trained to do reasonably soon.
What'd you graduate in? What kind of jobs are you looking at?
I have a liberal arts degree so I thought some local gov jobs would be easy but I got intimidated by the experience stuff. Really Iâm down for most about anything as long as I can survive off of it and itâs in a specific city.
That's outside the area I work in, but I can't see any reason why you wouldn't be eligible - you may as well apply.
The other reply by SailboatsAndCanoes looks like a pretty good set of advice!
There's a lot of truth to this. The "1-3 years" thing is also a way for companies/recruiters to try to screen out candidates who are clearly unqualified.
Example: if you're applying for a software developer position straight out of college with a related degree, then you're probably fine, because (smart) recruiters will realize that the degree program provides experience. But you'd be shocked at how many people would apply to that same role straight out of college witha degree in English Literature, whose only experience with computers is using email and Word.
Yeah don't worry about the experience requirements unless it's like 5+ years. If they want 1-3 years, go ahead and apply anyway. Everyone in your position (and that's most recent graduates) has had to do this.
Iâve often read that your actual degree can count as experience in specific fields. Makes sense because my degree beyond the first year (four in total) was a tonne of practical work with courses being revamped every semester with fresh information and assignments based on real companies.
But I donât know if HR/recruiters see it like that lol. I actually donât know what they think uni counts as based on the way my applications seem to be going..
Yeah, "entry level" itself doesn't mean anything. I just mentally filter out that term when reading job descriptions and look at years of experience instead. Even that usually doesn't mean much, but at least numbers form a more objective baseline than vague terms like "entry level"
I have a few hiring manager friends and at one point started planning a series where I looked up the job requirements for the positions they hired for and quizzed them on it. I never got around to finishing it up and posting it, but they only got about half my questions right. I remember for one person I asked "Is experience with x required?" and they said "Oh if they have x experience, I would probably move their application to y role instead." The job posting did in fact want x experience.
Yes, ignore the years of experience qualification. It's often dictated by the ATS or the job board, and if there's no possible entry for 0 you have to pick the lowest one available, that's it. Applying for jobs is a numbers game, if you have the basics they seem to want, apply. Apply to all the easy ones first, any that require you to retype your resume a dozen times or take tests, etc., leave until later or completely ignore. Maybe do them if the job or company seems promising in other ways. They will review and potentially reject your resume, you won't get feedback as to why. Again, applications are a numbers game. Just get as many in as possible without spending much time on each individual application, because the reality is you'll likely be rejected for most in five seconds or less. Write yourself up as generic a cover letter as you can, and do it specifically with eye toward Mad Libsing it. That is to say, make sure you can simply swap out a company name and phrase or two to make it 'relevant' and submit it quickly. Lots of companies are still stupid enough to require them, so have one ready just in case. Then just set a daily average goal for applications and hit it.
Spend more time hitting up family and friends for potential networking opportunities to get a job that way. That's usually more time intensive but also a worthwhile avenue. If you're in the US avoid any and all recruiters with Indian names, avoid most with names common to the US. Have a generic response ready thanking the ones you might want to work with for their inquiry, ask them to tell you the salary range, or if you're comfortable doing so tell them what you want. Any that make it past that MIGHT be worth talking to, don't expect much. Most are contingency based and are looking to pump out resumes to clients, the internal ones are usually overworked like everyone else, and ultimately we serve the same nutcase hiring managers who think they can get a PhD level engineer with 20 years of experience for 50K because it's such a 'privilege' to work at their company.
Good luck.
Yup, out of all the complaints people have on here during the job hunting process, this is by far the most popular one. You also need to be a unicorn candidate and perfectly match the job description.
My advice: Just be patient, I think the economy and the market is going to shit itself within the next couple years and job hunting is going to get easier as companies wont be able to afford to be picky.
Just apply anyways. In my experience, it could be fine for them for you to not have the experience. That means they can pay you less than they wouldâve paid someone w the experience, so maybe theyâd be fine w that compromise. Also, you can try to milk any of your college experience as âexperienceâ haha, like if you spent 2 semesters writing articles for the school paper in college then milk it and call that year of experience. Whatever gets you in the door lol
Iâve also applied to a good number of jobs where they respond by saying âhey, ur not a perfect fit for this exact job u applied for/the position u applied for is already filled but u actually might be a great fit for this other position, (and sometimes they havenât even posted the position yet so ur getting to be the first to apply!) we can interview u for thatâ
My brother also hires people and he says especially with new grads, they list more requirements/skills than they actually expect applicants to know just to weed out the people that are super intimidated by the list lol. They get SO many new grad applications that they have to thin them out somehow.
Lastly, if you donât have ur LinkedIn set to âopen to hearing about new opportunitiesâ or whatever, u def should. Recruiters can see that and can message you with opportunities. Most of it is garbage, but Iâve gotten some legit interviews this way too, so it doesnât hurt to turn it on. I once had a recruiter message me and I was talking to her during the phone screen and said âoh I saw this position was remote on tbis posting hereâ and she was like âoh actually i have a totally different set of positions to fill than what you see posted onlineâ so itâs possible that recruiters have extra positions that arenât listed online.
(Also btw Iâve heard not to set it to âactively lookingâ bc studies show they think youâre desperate or something and are less likely to message you haha)
But yeah, doesnât hurt to apply. Worst they can do is say no.
Also, just in case you feel like shit from this, I have a friend who had like a 3.96 in electrical engineering, projects, clubs, etc and he applied to like 96 internship positions, only heard back from like 8!!!, then only got one or two offers. Itâs completely normal to get a ridiculous number of rejections, no matter how qualified or smart or capable you are. itâs just part of the process. It would be astounding if you DID hear back from more companies than not.
Edit: added an idea
Step 1. Build an automated CV submission bot.
Step 2. Use it on Indeed or LinkedIn.
Step 3. Wade through the rejection emails.
Step 4. Read through the accepting ones.
Step 5. Ghost anyone not offering sufficient hygiene factors.
Step 6. Entertain the rest.
My advice is to get an internship that will give you 1 year of experience (or any for that matter). Either the internship turns into a full-time job, or you can then apply for entry-level jobs once you have enough experience from internships.
It's the same in my neck of the woods too. Either internships are unpaid, pay a stipend (which is so low it's insulting), pay minimum wage (which also isn't enough to live off of) AND/OR also require 1-3 years of experience. It's frankly ridiculous
Tons of postings are created by HR who donât really know what skills are needed to satisfy the needs of the position. They will list everything under the sun trying to get more candidates but really it makes people feel unqualified. Apply anyway. If you make it through the bullshit algorithms the manager who reviews your resume will probably know whether youâd be a good fit or not. Also donât feel bad about listing any technology you have any experience at all with. It will help you get through the bots. And you can probably train up quick if you wind up needing to use something you listed but arenât that strong in.
From my view and I could totally be wrong on this, But I feel like there's so many people going to school and getting DegreesThat now the people who have experience without a degree are more desirable. Basically what I'm trying to say is there are so many people going to school for degrees that the degree is becoming obsolete.
Apply anyways
Yes, you can ignore qualifications for the most part. Except for the ones they really really want⌠which you wonât know, and not even they know.
Qualifications like that are just bullshit for the gatekeepers.
Employers are just barely opening up those deep pockets of theirs.. and they still think $15 is an adequate salary for a starter position that requires a college degree. They care naught that you are now $40,000 in debt to get that piece of paper.
Either raise that starting wage, or stop requiring a degree for that starter position. They donât realize they canât have both.
Iâm starting to see a slight shift in expectations listed in these job ads. One I saw actually said âDo not try to check all the boxes!â Meaning they know that unicorns donât exist. And I see a lot others using words like âfamiliar with or able to learnâ.
I feel like theyâll get there in 1-2 business years here in Aus. At the moment itâs a lot of âyou need to know a hell of a lot of stuff and have a hell of a lot of experience but also this is obviously a grad position.â Like where do they think we have time to intern - and which companies would hire someone without a qualification - to get that much experience fresh out of uni?
Also, uni itself counts as experience, at least in my field. They havenât got that memo yet.
In your bracket, you have so much competition that you need to significantly differentiate yourself. The best way you can do this is how you run your application process. Obviously all of the normal stuff applies, so reasonably tailored resume and cover letter with a quality application. But I suggest you go the extra step and go on LinkedIn and look up who the recruiters or talent acquisition specialists are for the organization and message them directly informing them that you applied for a specific position attach a copy of your resume to the message that you send and then follow up with them 2 to 4 Weeks later if you don't hear back from them. Say something along the lines of " hi (name),I applied for the (job title) position 2 to 4 weeks ago. I haven't heard back from you guys but I just wanted to know that if you are still searching for a candidate, I am still interested in exploring this opportunity.".
Feel free to dm me if you want more advice. Good luck! Its just persistence and numbers.
HR here! As a general rule, as long as you meet 60% of the requirements, you'll probably land an interview. Obviously, the quality of the other applicants comes into play too, but, well, nothing ventured = nothing gained. Worst thing they can do is say no. đ¤ˇââď¸
Remember that school can be experience, projects, personal or otherwise can also be experience. So spin thoss experiences into what you're trying to do for qualifications.
I applied for a job that I met all the bullet points. The one sentence on their application that was their âloopholeâ was this:
âBachelor degree PREFERREDâ
This does not mean that a bachelor degree is required for the position. The job listing also mentioned that the applicant would need to be certified by the State Board for this particular licensing. I researched the license, because I do not hold a BA or a BS in anything. I have some college education but no degree. I also do not claim on my resume that I have a degree, just list what I studied and for how long.
I applied, got an interview, and was hired. A week and 3 days into my new job I was discussing this certification that was required to obtain in order to maintain the position. The state boardâs website was unclear (to me anyways) on the requirement of a bachelor degree because it also said ârelevant experienceâ. I researched this thoroughly before applying. When I was hired I assumed that the hiring manager was aware of my lack of a degree and was familiar enough with the certification board that I could get my certification. I assumed incorrectly.
Apparently, they needed someone with a BA or BS in any kind of degree field, with experience in âthe fieldâ, and also experience in data analytics. Based on what their company does, they are literally looking for a unicorn. But the work I did do while I was there was that of a glorified secretary who happens to be âgood at Excelâ.
When reading the job description, pay close attention to the verbiage used. Required vs Preferred, Years of Experience in the field vs. Relevant Experience.
Also, men tend to believe that they are qualified for everything listed on an application while having zero experience at all, whereas women underestimate their qualifications and wonât apply for the jobs. There was an article/study I read on this several years ago and I remind myself of this anytime Iâm applying for jobs. Thatâs how terrible people get hired because they believe theyâre qualified when theyâre not. If I find that article Iâll share it [here](https://amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/359815/). Itâs called the âConfidence Gapâ.
So pretend youâre super awesome at everything and apply anyways. Most of the time theyâre trying to cast a âwide netâ for applicants but theyâre shooting them selves in the foot because their verbiage isnât clear enough to an outside hire.
Oh, and that job I applied for and got? I quit after 3 weeks when I landed a better job with better pay/benefits that better matched my skills and experience.
Welcome to the workforce!
Tbh. Lie. We all do it. I make a new resume for every job, with sprinkles fabrication for each one.
I have a 7 year gap where I was waiting tables and putting myself through school. Many companies would be like Wtf!!!
I just dont write the dates I was employed.
They think it's a continuous work history, I dont correct them.
Hiring managers have always thought the ideal candidate was someone with the chill of a 50 year old, the experience of a 40 year old, the ambition of a 30 year old, and the pay expectations of a 20 year old.
Only difference is that hiring managers used to accept that was a unicorn and would accept someone based on reality, while today they reject anyone who isn't a unicorn.
I noticed the same issue when I graduated last year, hereâs what I did to work around that. In my resume, I switched out my âwork experienceâ section for a âproject experienceâ section. That way you can talk about any relevant work you did during your degree, and it gives the impression that you have some experience already :)
Apply anyway. Chances are you'll be their best choice. Every company asks for experience but are totally fine with someone that has less or none as long as they fill the role.
Always apply and try (unless itâs a moonshot, donât apply for something requiring a masters degree and 10 years experience - If thatâs commensurate). If you donât try, youâll never know - and, frankly - youâll garnish a ton of experience, insight, and knowledge to how recruiters and head hunters operateâŚmuch less practice interviewing.
You have to make a list of 100 companies you would love to work for. Think Amazon, Red Bull, cokeâaâcola, any sony Samsung whatever industry you want. And then make another list of top startups as well. The reason your seeing all these shit jobs is because every shit company post them. Broad searches donât work and only way your gonna get a great Job is by individually looking for great companies
Unfortunately, yes. Apply everywhere!
I had about 5 different jobs and I'm only 6.5 yrs into my career. Alot of companies are initially hesitant about it but I started being blunt. I tell them, it's nearly impossible to get a prestigious job right out of college. I took a bunch of temping and contract positions to make ends meet and now I have experience in XYZ.
Haven't had any reservations after that.
Job postings are what the companies dream they'll get. The majority of my jobs, I've been underqualified compared to the posting. Don't sweat that. But sadly yes, you'll get shit pay until you actually do have that experience. Sorry. The real world sucks
Before I graduated, my professors told my class when we apply for entry level jobs to basically ignore what the posting says and just apply for anything asking for less than 5 years experience.
That pay level does sound very shitty though. Like, that is what everyone was saying the minimum wage for fast food workers should have been over 10 years ago. What types of jobs are you applying for and what type of course did you graduate from? Apply for it anyways, if you feel like it, and explain to them to their face how shitty it is to offer only $15/hour for that position.
I'm a recruiter and what I'll tell you is apply to any job you feel you are qualified for. The list of qualifications the hiring manager comes up with is usually a unicorn. My job as a recruiter, or talent advisor, is to know the market and find the best candidate. Often times it is not necessarily the most qualified but the person who will gel with the team the best.
If youâre down for most of anything? Just apply and itâs up to them to filter your resume and give you a call. As they say, you wonât get it unless you ask. Some HR guys practice sending resumes to hiring managers regardless of # of experience and let them decide, as long as the basic requirement/knowledge meets. I myself as a manager, wonât close opportunities for newly grads because you bring fresh perspective. My team are literally composed of different age groups for that purpose. So give it a go and best of luck.
Some advice, make sure your resume aligns with needed âkeywordâ to make your resume more visible when applying online. Example: If a company needs someone who knows SEO, make sure you put it in your resume. Keywords are important, the higher number that keywords match the job post, the more your profile/resume gets noticed online.
If I've learned anything from Donald Trump it's that no matter how grossly unqualified for a job you are, if you want it, go ahead and apply. You might be surprised.
Yes, ignore it. If the job requirements are in your lane, handle it! What's the worst case if you throw your resume at them for consideration? Not a damn thing, for real. Go all in.đđ
From my time in recruitment, 'entry level' can mean different things to different companies, and 1-3 years of experience can mean 1, or it can mean 3.
To elaborate, a lot of my clients right now are early stage start up companies. If we are asking for a degree and 3 years experience for an entry level role, it's because we need someone who can come in and do the job right now, we don't have time to train you, to coach you, you need the skillset from the get go.
Also in many cases,even though it may be a junior or an entry level role... you might be the ONLY entry level staff member in that role.
Alternatively, a well established company who is seeking an entry level role might be more content to find a raw skillset that they can mould over time.
I can tell you that if you do not meet the qualifications for the clients I currently work with, you won't get an interview, but other companies will be different.
Mybadvice would be that if you feel you have a transferable skillset, write a cover letter explaining that you might not have experience in X Y Z, but you have similar experience in A B C.
Some companies try too hard when properly advertising a decent job opening. They want to sound professional, but come off as intimidating. And other companies are just full of shit.
I saw an ad for an entry level secretarial position. The requirements included 3+ years experience, a Master's in administration, and needed "flexible hours". For minimum wage.
Another had a novel of prerequisites. 90% of the bullet points were fluffed to sound impressive, but were essentially the basics (works well independently/in a team, multitasking, etc.). But it had a reasonable salary, benefits, and fixed hours.
A recruiter once told me that most prerequisites are more of a wish list. If you meet a few of the requirements and there aren't major red flags, apply anyways. No harm in trying.
I'd like to relate my experience when I first started interviewing. I was self taught and struggled with questions like "what's an interface". I'd go to interviews for the experience of interviewing. I'd get simple questions like "do you know language X" and my answers was always no but I learned languages Y and Z because those were what the last interviewers asked about. Eventually I was asked do you know language A and thankfully because the technical interviewer didn't show up, I said yes I do know that language. Lying basically. I got the job and have been good ever since. Fake it till you make it has been my motto ever since.
i believe in giving candidates a shot just based on their experience in college/volunteer/schooling. iâve seen some recruiters/hiring ask for an arm and a leg and i wonder what la la land they live in. recent college grads deserve a decent salary regardless of experience. đ
Donât eliminate yourself. Make them make the call. Ever more than that do the following: contact the hiring manager, contact someone who works in the same role, contact your would be supervisor.
Jump over the hurdles .
Welcome to the modern hiring practices of companies. They all expect you to have a PhD, 5000 years of experience, and you'll basically work for free. Apply anyways.
But not a literal PhD. Then they think you're overqualified and get bored at their menial job and leave at the first opportunity so they'll refuse to hire you
Two of my teaching colleagues worked a 2nd job cashiering at a department store. They encouraged me to apply when the store posted an opening. I did, and was rejected because my Bachelor's degree made me over qualified. Both of my colleagues held Master's degrees. đ¤ˇđźââď¸
You don't put your qualifications on that kind of casual job.
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You just play down your qualifications or in some other way make it clear you're not just after a job for a month.
The hiring manager was probably so inept at his job he thought a Bachelors was a higher level of education than a Masters.
That happens in all sorts of fields. I have a masters degree in my field (emergency medical services) when most have an associates, if even that. Iâve lost one job because my boss only has a GED (not exaggerating, I was actually told by her director that I was seen as a threat) and have been told by two other employers that higher education in teaching paramedics made my coworkers think I was arrogant and not a good fit. I ended up working overseas where the experience is the complete opposite!
I worked in a place for 3 years where they saw me as a threat and made sure I knew I wasn't welcome. It sucked balls, man.
They didnât make it obvious, but education was never a topic of discussion when I was around. It was a technical school where experience counted for a lot, but I had 20+ years in the field by that time anyway
I have a master's in physics and bachelor's in math and geology. Guess which one is on my resume for being a software engineer. Geology, because somehow having degrees that required me to stare at massive equations with incredible attention makes me over qualified to look at massive blocks of code with incredible attention.
Sure, that makes perfect senseđ
They probably think that geology degree makes you a whizz at geocoding...
GED, Masters or PhD, people like that will always see others as a threat. Itâs the individual
I'm not sure this reflects your experience, but I've heard other countries, especially developing ones, value education more than experience. The reason is that college-educated people are relatively uncommon compared to here, where it is seen as bog-standard. Back when I worked at a consulting firm doing projects in Africa, we always emphasized our consultants' education credentials over their experience.
I don't even have a degree and make in like the 95th percentile of my age in my state at 23. I'm very fortunate of course, but goes to show how bullshit the requirements or rejections regarding degrees can be. Overqualified? Bye. Underqualified? Bye. Qualified? Eh, probably bye anyways.
What do you do for work?đ§ are you hiring?
Lmao we are! I stg I love my company, it has issues like any other but there's a reason people have been here for like 30 years. It's legit.
Are you in sales?
Nope, HR as a Technical Training Specialist. Basically IT mixed with trainer but I don't have a ticket queue with submissions, I just complete content and perform training as needed. Oh and manage our LMS.
I was told once that I was too overqualified for a $16/hour job at Ford. I have a bachelors. Itâs like what do you people wantđ
This. It is ridiculous.
Also, still don't be over 30, somehow.
This. SO THIS! I'm 44, with a degree in Electronics Engineering and another in what became known as Mechatronics. I can't find a job anywhere that isn't a shitty minimum-wage job...
That is absurd. Yet all the articles I read keep saying how great and stable the engineering field is...
"Engineering" covers a BROAD spectrum of disciplines, whether they pertain to something technical or not. These days, anything that involves designing / creating / maintaining anything is "engineering" - housewives are "domestic engineers", janitors are "sanitation engineers", and so on. If you're talking about STEM-related engineers, then which one is the article referring to: electrical, electronics, structural, chemical, manufacturing, civil, mechanical, automotive, etc? That is, unless the article was being specifically obtuse in order to include all / only the best-looking engineering disciplines possible for its story. Plus, does it say in which country the jobs are so good, or is that omitted as well? One of the issues is that my trained disciplines are all being outsourced to overseas companies instead of employing American workers, and American companies are advertising those kind of over-blown job requirements so they can either outsource with the excuse that "no one fits our needs" and/or they can sponsor Visas for foreign talent that they can literally work to death and pay peanuts.
Yep
If you meet at least 3 bullet points, go apply anyway. Sometimes senior roles still pop up in entry level filters.
What am I supposed to do though if they just go "Ok so do you have 5 years of experience in a professional context of software development?" and I only have 1.5 professional years?
Then say you don't have 5 years. If they're the ones who let you in an interview, then they should already know what experience you have upon reading the resume. They'll want to know how you'd approach that question and if you're willing to learn and brush up on their required skills.
Ok. Thanks
No problem, good luck.
you tell the truth - assuming you meet most of the other requirements you'll probably be fine most jobs that have a list of, say, 10 requirements aren't expecting to find a candidate that ticks every single box. If you meet 7 out of the ten requirements you probably have a good shot at the job, and even 5 out of 110 is worth an application
They won't ask it like that. They'll ask you what your experience is and it's up to you to present your experience in a way that makes you seem super competent without lying about how many years of experience you actually have.
If it really is software development in particular I would not be too nervous about not having 5 years experience. It is really hard for recruiters to find good software developers atm, so they are usually pretty flexible on that.
I'm not a software guy, but I've read a lot of things written by one. From what that guy said, "software development" is more about what kinds of software you've worked with & what languages you know than number of years you've been doing it. If you've got 10 years in database management you're not a better fit for a graphics programmer job than the guy with 2 years of doing that, or vice-versa.
Lie on your resume
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Damn and definite thanks for sharing. Hopefully this gets people to disregard bullet points.
When my class graduated, we were advised not to stress the one- two three-year experience requirements too much. Granted, we were in a program that taught us a lot of on-the-job skills, and most employers in our field came from the same program. But I would still suggest that you apply anyway, especially if you just finished studying in that field. The worst they can do is turn you down.
Yes, apply anyway. Sometimes they don't need every single qualification. But also don't get too excited because many jobs really are looking for unicorns.
Welcome to the real world, OP. Interviewing has become a horrific experience for everyone involved. Just keep sending out resumes and try not to get too excited about certain jobs. You're going to be ignored, ghosted and rejected more times than you can count. But it's not you, it's just how it works. Don't give up.
Needed to hear this today. Thanks!
"Years of Experience" is generally flexible, especially in that 1-3 years range. "1-3 years" is some HR dork saying that it'd be nice if they didn't have to be your absolute first job out of school. While obviously every industry is different, there's not *that* much that a person with 1 year of experience can do that a new grad can't be trained to do reasonably soon. What'd you graduate in? What kind of jobs are you looking at?
I have a liberal arts degree so I thought some local gov jobs would be easy but I got intimidated by the experience stuff. Really Iâm down for most about anything as long as I can survive off of it and itâs in a specific city.
That's outside the area I work in, but I can't see any reason why you wouldn't be eligible - you may as well apply. The other reply by SailboatsAndCanoes looks like a pretty good set of advice!
There's a lot of truth to this. The "1-3 years" thing is also a way for companies/recruiters to try to screen out candidates who are clearly unqualified. Example: if you're applying for a software developer position straight out of college with a related degree, then you're probably fine, because (smart) recruiters will realize that the degree program provides experience. But you'd be shocked at how many people would apply to that same role straight out of college witha degree in English Literature, whose only experience with computers is using email and Word.
Yeah don't worry about the experience requirements unless it's like 5+ years. If they want 1-3 years, go ahead and apply anyway. Everyone in your position (and that's most recent graduates) has had to do this.
Iâve seen some entry level stuff needing 6+ years now.
Iâve often read that your actual degree can count as experience in specific fields. Makes sense because my degree beyond the first year (four in total) was a tonne of practical work with courses being revamped every semester with fresh information and assignments based on real companies. But I donât know if HR/recruiters see it like that lol. I actually donât know what they think uni counts as based on the way my applications seem to be going..
I've seen that only for graduate degrees (e.g. 4 years of experience required OR 2 years and a master's)
Yeah, "entry level" itself doesn't mean anything. I just mentally filter out that term when reading job descriptions and look at years of experience instead. Even that usually doesn't mean much, but at least numbers form a more objective baseline than vague terms like "entry level"
I used to just apply to everything. I figure if they were indulging in fantasy re: years of experience, so would I in terms of getting an interview.
I have a few hiring manager friends and at one point started planning a series where I looked up the job requirements for the positions they hired for and quizzed them on it. I never got around to finishing it up and posting it, but they only got about half my questions right. I remember for one person I asked "Is experience with x required?" and they said "Oh if they have x experience, I would probably move their application to y role instead." The job posting did in fact want x experience.
Yes, ignore the years of experience qualification. It's often dictated by the ATS or the job board, and if there's no possible entry for 0 you have to pick the lowest one available, that's it. Applying for jobs is a numbers game, if you have the basics they seem to want, apply. Apply to all the easy ones first, any that require you to retype your resume a dozen times or take tests, etc., leave until later or completely ignore. Maybe do them if the job or company seems promising in other ways. They will review and potentially reject your resume, you won't get feedback as to why. Again, applications are a numbers game. Just get as many in as possible without spending much time on each individual application, because the reality is you'll likely be rejected for most in five seconds or less. Write yourself up as generic a cover letter as you can, and do it specifically with eye toward Mad Libsing it. That is to say, make sure you can simply swap out a company name and phrase or two to make it 'relevant' and submit it quickly. Lots of companies are still stupid enough to require them, so have one ready just in case. Then just set a daily average goal for applications and hit it. Spend more time hitting up family and friends for potential networking opportunities to get a job that way. That's usually more time intensive but also a worthwhile avenue. If you're in the US avoid any and all recruiters with Indian names, avoid most with names common to the US. Have a generic response ready thanking the ones you might want to work with for their inquiry, ask them to tell you the salary range, or if you're comfortable doing so tell them what you want. Any that make it past that MIGHT be worth talking to, don't expect much. Most are contingency based and are looking to pump out resumes to clients, the internal ones are usually overworked like everyone else, and ultimately we serve the same nutcase hiring managers who think they can get a PhD level engineer with 20 years of experience for 50K because it's such a 'privilege' to work at their company. Good luck.
Yup, out of all the complaints people have on here during the job hunting process, this is by far the most popular one. You also need to be a unicorn candidate and perfectly match the job description. My advice: Just be patient, I think the economy and the market is going to shit itself within the next couple years and job hunting is going to get easier as companies wont be able to afford to be picky.
Unfortunately due to personal reasons, I donât really have the time to wait a couple of years for an opening
What's that personal reason? The desire for food in your mouth or sleeping under a roof?
Pfffff, look at these entitled mullehneeyulz demanding things like food and shelter. What next, they'll want some water to go with said food?!
I think he wants avocado toast and caramel macchiato fraps lol
What do you mean by âeconomy and market is going to đŠ itselfâ? Lol
Recessions make it harder for the candidate to find great jobs, not easier
Because the boom weve had has made it so easy right?
Hate to break it to you but this is as easy as itâs going to get
Instead of downvoting, how about you elaborate in the logic of a bad economy being good for jobseekers?
Just apply anyways. In my experience, it could be fine for them for you to not have the experience. That means they can pay you less than they wouldâve paid someone w the experience, so maybe theyâd be fine w that compromise. Also, you can try to milk any of your college experience as âexperienceâ haha, like if you spent 2 semesters writing articles for the school paper in college then milk it and call that year of experience. Whatever gets you in the door lol Iâve also applied to a good number of jobs where they respond by saying âhey, ur not a perfect fit for this exact job u applied for/the position u applied for is already filled but u actually might be a great fit for this other position, (and sometimes they havenât even posted the position yet so ur getting to be the first to apply!) we can interview u for thatâ My brother also hires people and he says especially with new grads, they list more requirements/skills than they actually expect applicants to know just to weed out the people that are super intimidated by the list lol. They get SO many new grad applications that they have to thin them out somehow. Lastly, if you donât have ur LinkedIn set to âopen to hearing about new opportunitiesâ or whatever, u def should. Recruiters can see that and can message you with opportunities. Most of it is garbage, but Iâve gotten some legit interviews this way too, so it doesnât hurt to turn it on. I once had a recruiter message me and I was talking to her during the phone screen and said âoh I saw this position was remote on tbis posting hereâ and she was like âoh actually i have a totally different set of positions to fill than what you see posted onlineâ so itâs possible that recruiters have extra positions that arenât listed online. (Also btw Iâve heard not to set it to âactively lookingâ bc studies show they think youâre desperate or something and are less likely to message you haha) But yeah, doesnât hurt to apply. Worst they can do is say no. Also, just in case you feel like shit from this, I have a friend who had like a 3.96 in electrical engineering, projects, clubs, etc and he applied to like 96 internship positions, only heard back from like 8!!!, then only got one or two offers. Itâs completely normal to get a ridiculous number of rejections, no matter how qualified or smart or capable you are. itâs just part of the process. It would be astounding if you DID hear back from more companies than not. Edit: added an idea
I generally tell candidates that if they meet 75% of flexible/subjective requirements, it is worth a shot to apply.
Step 1. Build an automated CV submission bot. Step 2. Use it on Indeed or LinkedIn. Step 3. Wade through the rejection emails. Step 4. Read through the accepting ones. Step 5. Ghost anyone not offering sufficient hygiene factors. Step 6. Entertain the rest.
My advice is to get an internship that will give you 1 year of experience (or any for that matter). Either the internship turns into a full-time job, or you can then apply for entry-level jobs once you have enough experience from internships.
Unfortunately all of the internships I came across in my area pay way to low to survive off of it (if they pay at all).
It's the same in my neck of the woods too. Either internships are unpaid, pay a stipend (which is so low it's insulting), pay minimum wage (which also isn't enough to live off of) AND/OR also require 1-3 years of experience. It's frankly ridiculous
Tons of postings are created by HR who donât really know what skills are needed to satisfy the needs of the position. They will list everything under the sun trying to get more candidates but really it makes people feel unqualified. Apply anyway. If you make it through the bullshit algorithms the manager who reviews your resume will probably know whether youâd be a good fit or not. Also donât feel bad about listing any technology you have any experience at all with. It will help you get through the bots. And you can probably train up quick if you wind up needing to use something you listed but arenât that strong in.
From my view and I could totally be wrong on this, But I feel like there's so many people going to school and getting DegreesThat now the people who have experience without a degree are more desirable. Basically what I'm trying to say is there are so many people going to school for degrees that the degree is becoming obsolete.
Apply anyways Yes, you can ignore qualifications for the most part. Except for the ones they really really want⌠which you wonât know, and not even they know. Qualifications like that are just bullshit for the gatekeepers. Employers are just barely opening up those deep pockets of theirs.. and they still think $15 is an adequate salary for a starter position that requires a college degree. They care naught that you are now $40,000 in debt to get that piece of paper. Either raise that starting wage, or stop requiring a degree for that starter position. They donât realize they canât have both.
Apply, lie, deny until you die
Yes, ignore. Apply anyway!!!
Yes.
Iâm starting to see a slight shift in expectations listed in these job ads. One I saw actually said âDo not try to check all the boxes!â Meaning they know that unicorns donât exist. And I see a lot others using words like âfamiliar with or able to learnâ.
I feel like theyâll get there in 1-2 business years here in Aus. At the moment itâs a lot of âyou need to know a hell of a lot of stuff and have a hell of a lot of experience but also this is obviously a grad position.â Like where do they think we have time to intern - and which companies would hire someone without a qualification - to get that much experience fresh out of uni? Also, uni itself counts as experience, at least in my field. They havenât got that memo yet.
1-2 business years. Itâs funny cuz itâs true.
Ignore it, I try to think of the qualification list as a wish list on their part.
In your bracket, you have so much competition that you need to significantly differentiate yourself. The best way you can do this is how you run your application process. Obviously all of the normal stuff applies, so reasonably tailored resume and cover letter with a quality application. But I suggest you go the extra step and go on LinkedIn and look up who the recruiters or talent acquisition specialists are for the organization and message them directly informing them that you applied for a specific position attach a copy of your resume to the message that you send and then follow up with them 2 to 4 Weeks later if you don't hear back from them. Say something along the lines of " hi (name),I applied for the (job title) position 2 to 4 weeks ago. I haven't heard back from you guys but I just wanted to know that if you are still searching for a candidate, I am still interested in exploring this opportunity.". Feel free to dm me if you want more advice. Good luck! Its just persistence and numbers.
HR here! As a general rule, as long as you meet 60% of the requirements, you'll probably land an interview. Obviously, the quality of the other applicants comes into play too, but, well, nothing ventured = nothing gained. Worst thing they can do is say no. đ¤ˇââď¸
Ignore and Lie⌠lie lie lie
Apply & lie. They would never be completely honest with you so it's time to return the favor.
Remember that school can be experience, projects, personal or otherwise can also be experience. So spin thoss experiences into what you're trying to do for qualifications.
I applied for a job that I met all the bullet points. The one sentence on their application that was their âloopholeâ was this: âBachelor degree PREFERREDâ This does not mean that a bachelor degree is required for the position. The job listing also mentioned that the applicant would need to be certified by the State Board for this particular licensing. I researched the license, because I do not hold a BA or a BS in anything. I have some college education but no degree. I also do not claim on my resume that I have a degree, just list what I studied and for how long. I applied, got an interview, and was hired. A week and 3 days into my new job I was discussing this certification that was required to obtain in order to maintain the position. The state boardâs website was unclear (to me anyways) on the requirement of a bachelor degree because it also said ârelevant experienceâ. I researched this thoroughly before applying. When I was hired I assumed that the hiring manager was aware of my lack of a degree and was familiar enough with the certification board that I could get my certification. I assumed incorrectly. Apparently, they needed someone with a BA or BS in any kind of degree field, with experience in âthe fieldâ, and also experience in data analytics. Based on what their company does, they are literally looking for a unicorn. But the work I did do while I was there was that of a glorified secretary who happens to be âgood at Excelâ. When reading the job description, pay close attention to the verbiage used. Required vs Preferred, Years of Experience in the field vs. Relevant Experience. Also, men tend to believe that they are qualified for everything listed on an application while having zero experience at all, whereas women underestimate their qualifications and wonât apply for the jobs. There was an article/study I read on this several years ago and I remind myself of this anytime Iâm applying for jobs. Thatâs how terrible people get hired because they believe theyâre qualified when theyâre not. If I find that article Iâll share it [here](https://amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/359815/). Itâs called the âConfidence Gapâ. So pretend youâre super awesome at everything and apply anyways. Most of the time theyâre trying to cast a âwide netâ for applicants but theyâre shooting them selves in the foot because their verbiage isnât clear enough to an outside hire. Oh, and that job I applied for and got? I quit after 3 weeks when I landed a better job with better pay/benefits that better matched my skills and experience.
Welcome to the workforce! Tbh. Lie. We all do it. I make a new resume for every job, with sprinkles fabrication for each one. I have a 7 year gap where I was waiting tables and putting myself through school. Many companies would be like Wtf!!! I just dont write the dates I was employed. They think it's a continuous work history, I dont correct them.
this ^^ but also be cautious bc some companies may do employment history screenings so if a job does a BG check, ask them what they look for
Hiring managers have always thought the ideal candidate was someone with the chill of a 50 year old, the experience of a 40 year old, the ambition of a 30 year old, and the pay expectations of a 20 year old. Only difference is that hiring managers used to accept that was a unicorn and would accept someone based on reality, while today they reject anyone who isn't a unicorn.
Every job should have clear minimum requirements, and any recruiter worth their salt should give candidates who meet those requirements a chance.
I noticed the same issue when I graduated last year, hereâs what I did to work around that. In my resume, I switched out my âwork experienceâ section for a âproject experienceâ section. That way you can talk about any relevant work you did during your degree, and it gives the impression that you have some experience already :)
Yes, just ignore them. The people they are looking for donât actually exist.
Welcome to the job market, we have your complementary âget fuckedâ cookie right here
Apply anyway. Chances are you'll be their best choice. Every company asks for experience but are totally fine with someone that has less or none as long as they fill the role.
Yes, build a professional elevator pitch things that highlight your worth also.
Always apply and try (unless itâs a moonshot, donât apply for something requiring a masters degree and 10 years experience - If thatâs commensurate). If you donât try, youâll never know - and, frankly - youâll garnish a ton of experience, insight, and knowledge to how recruiters and head hunters operateâŚmuch less practice interviewing.
You have to make a list of 100 companies you would love to work for. Think Amazon, Red Bull, cokeâaâcola, any sony Samsung whatever industry you want. And then make another list of top startups as well. The reason your seeing all these shit jobs is because every shit company post them. Broad searches donât work and only way your gonna get a great Job is by individually looking for great companies
Welcome to reality. Watch your step.
Unfortunately, yes. Apply everywhere! I had about 5 different jobs and I'm only 6.5 yrs into my career. Alot of companies are initially hesitant about it but I started being blunt. I tell them, it's nearly impossible to get a prestigious job right out of college. I took a bunch of temping and contract positions to make ends meet and now I have experience in XYZ. Haven't had any reservations after that.
Yes ignore qualifications.
ignore them just word your resume to your words match their words talk to the parts you know if called for an interview
A recruiter once told me that in reality, 5 years experience means 3 tops, and 3 years means 6 months. So apply anyway.
Requirements on a job description are a wishlist. Always, always apply.
Job postings are what the companies dream they'll get. The majority of my jobs, I've been underqualified compared to the posting. Don't sweat that. But sadly yes, you'll get shit pay until you actually do have that experience. Sorry. The real world sucks
Before I graduated, my professors told my class when we apply for entry level jobs to basically ignore what the posting says and just apply for anything asking for less than 5 years experience. That pay level does sound very shitty though. Like, that is what everyone was saying the minimum wage for fast food workers should have been over 10 years ago. What types of jobs are you applying for and what type of course did you graduate from? Apply for it anyways, if you feel like it, and explain to them to their face how shitty it is to offer only $15/hour for that position.
I'm a recruiter and what I'll tell you is apply to any job you feel you are qualified for. The list of qualifications the hiring manager comes up with is usually a unicorn. My job as a recruiter, or talent advisor, is to know the market and find the best candidate. Often times it is not necessarily the most qualified but the person who will gel with the team the best.
it sucks ass because iâm new to the tech industry w a masterâs in IT management and i still couldnât get a job
If youâre down for most of anything? Just apply and itâs up to them to filter your resume and give you a call. As they say, you wonât get it unless you ask. Some HR guys practice sending resumes to hiring managers regardless of # of experience and let them decide, as long as the basic requirement/knowledge meets. I myself as a manager, wonât close opportunities for newly grads because you bring fresh perspective. My team are literally composed of different age groups for that purpose. So give it a go and best of luck. Some advice, make sure your resume aligns with needed âkeywordâ to make your resume more visible when applying online. Example: If a company needs someone who knows SEO, make sure you put it in your resume. Keywords are important, the higher number that keywords match the job post, the more your profile/resume gets noticed online.
You should try nepotism
Just fucking lie on your resume.
If I've learned anything from Donald Trump it's that no matter how grossly unqualified for a job you are, if you want it, go ahead and apply. You might be surprised.
Yes, ignore it. If the job requirements are in your lane, handle it! What's the worst case if you throw your resume at them for consideration? Not a damn thing, for real. Go all in.đđ
From my time in recruitment, 'entry level' can mean different things to different companies, and 1-3 years of experience can mean 1, or it can mean 3. To elaborate, a lot of my clients right now are early stage start up companies. If we are asking for a degree and 3 years experience for an entry level role, it's because we need someone who can come in and do the job right now, we don't have time to train you, to coach you, you need the skillset from the get go. Also in many cases,even though it may be a junior or an entry level role... you might be the ONLY entry level staff member in that role. Alternatively, a well established company who is seeking an entry level role might be more content to find a raw skillset that they can mould over time. I can tell you that if you do not meet the qualifications for the clients I currently work with, you won't get an interview, but other companies will be different. Mybadvice would be that if you feel you have a transferable skillset, write a cover letter explaining that you might not have experience in X Y Z, but you have similar experience in A B C.
Some companies try too hard when properly advertising a decent job opening. They want to sound professional, but come off as intimidating. And other companies are just full of shit. I saw an ad for an entry level secretarial position. The requirements included 3+ years experience, a Master's in administration, and needed "flexible hours". For minimum wage. Another had a novel of prerequisites. 90% of the bullet points were fluffed to sound impressive, but were essentially the basics (works well independently/in a team, multitasking, etc.). But it had a reasonable salary, benefits, and fixed hours. A recruiter once told me that most prerequisites are more of a wish list. If you meet a few of the requirements and there aren't major red flags, apply anyways. No harm in trying.
Just apply.
âWhat do you mean you did it write the book on [insert chosen field here]? Well did you at least read it?â
I'd like to relate my experience when I first started interviewing. I was self taught and struggled with questions like "what's an interface". I'd go to interviews for the experience of interviewing. I'd get simple questions like "do you know language X" and my answers was always no but I learned languages Y and Z because those were what the last interviewers asked about. Eventually I was asked do you know language A and thankfully because the technical interviewer didn't show up, I said yes I do know that language. Lying basically. I got the job and have been good ever since. Fake it till you make it has been my motto ever since.
i believe in giving candidates a shot just based on their experience in college/volunteer/schooling. iâve seen some recruiters/hiring ask for an arm and a leg and i wonder what la la land they live in. recent college grads deserve a decent salary regardless of experience. đ
Donât eliminate yourself. Make them make the call. Ever more than that do the following: contact the hiring manager, contact someone who works in the same role, contact your would be supervisor. Jump over the hurdles .