Am I the IDEAL Candidate for the Job? Advice from a Job Interview Coach

Sometimes I feel intimidated by the wording of job ads.   “You are a superstar, an extraordinarily talented, skilled and experienced person who can take our marketing efforts to the next level and beyond!” they’ll say, gushing about their perfect candidate.  This is a slight – very slight – exaggeration, but many of the ads sound as though the employer will settle for nothing less than Superwoman.

Am I Superwoman?  Honestly, I don’t believe that my abilities are anywhere close to god-like; so when I come across an ad like this, I usually decide that I can’t possibly be the extraordinary person they seek.

I often wonder, though, if it’s a good idea or not to apply for a job when I don’t have 100 percent of the qualifications they say they want.   In the old days, when there weren’t a thousand candidates for every job opening (again, I’m exaggerating, but it doesn’t feel like I’m exaggerating very much), I wouldn’t hesitate to apply if I didn’t possess every single skill or experience listed.  If I was close enough, I’d go for it.

I’ve been told in job-hunting workshops that you should try for such jobs, that you can always grow with a company and learn new skills.  Take a chance because otherwise, you might miss out on a great opportunity.  I used to believe this, but I’m not so sure anymore.  I mean, why set myself up for rejection when the ad will attract innumerable fellow unemployed applicants, some of whom will possess every attribute sought?

I wonder if the advice about this has changed?

And why do employers write ads for Super-Candidate anyway?  I suppose they’re trying to discourage the unqualified (and from what I hear, some people do apply for everything, regardless of their qualifications).  The super-ads must reduce the volume of resumes they receive.

I decided to ask someone who would know if, or how, to respond to such ads.  Laurel Weber Snyder is the owner of Well Spoken Coaching Services (www.wellspokencoaching.com) and offers public speaking and media skills training as well as college- and job-interview coaching.

“While your professional experience and education levels need to be well aligned with the job description, don’t overlook your other experiences and capabilities that make you a great match for the job you are seeking,” Laurel says.  She offered the following simple steps that can help you identify and highlight how you match the job description.

• Create a worksheet on which you list any employment experience, volunteer activities or other projects in which you’ve been involved that meet the job requirements.

• Make a list of your personal and professional capabilities that match up to the requirements for the position, such as problem-solving, attention to detail, organizational skills, leadership abilities, flexibility, team player, self-starter.

• List situations where you used those qualities in job, volunteer or other situations and describe the outcome.  If you can quantify the results, so much the better.  Brainstorm with family, former co-workers and friends. 

• Now put one or two of these short anecdotes in your cover letter.

• Also practice saying these anecdotes aloud with a few extra details so that you can use them once you get the interview.  Each one should be no more than 90 seconds.

“These days you need to have a strong strategy for attracting the attention of a recruiter or HR professional to snag an interview that will lead to a job offer,” Laurel says.  “With the abundance of impersonal online applications, it is extremely important to customize your resume and cover letter each time you apply so they are a good ‘match’ for the job you desire.”

So it’s still OK to apply for a job for which you’re not a perfect match, as long as you can 1) demonstrate on paper that you’re a wonderful candidate so you get an interview and 2) confirm this impression for the employer when they meet you in person.

Laurel says that “Creativity, communication and persistence are a winning combination.”  Especially in these super-competitive times, I think her advice for how to catch – and hold – my future employer’s attention makes sense and is worth a try.