Has anyone else heard the advice of “just ignore the experience requirement and apply anyway?” I agree (mainly because I’m a believer in you miss 100% of shots you don’t take). But I do feel like it’s a bit lazy. Don’t just blindly apply places, do something about it!
Introduction
It sucks looking at an application and seeing that the ideal candidate has been doing that job in that company for the past 3-5 years. It turns out your first mistake was not being hired in 2016. But just ignoring the requirements and applying anyway still leaves you in the position of applying for something that you’re way underqualified for. However, there are some strategies you can deploy to help you overcome that rough feeling and give you some great anecdotes in an interview.
Here’s the agenda:
DIY
Contribute
Keep Learning
DIY
If you can do the job yourself in some capacity, do it. It’s never been easier to become a solopreneur than today. Get yourself a free CRM (I use Zoho) and start reaching out to prospects. If you weren’t comfortable marketing yourself like that, just sign up for an Upwork or Fiverr account and offer a service.
For the intrapreneurs out there looking for a position in their own company, I suggest putting together a process and a presentation. I’ve seen instances where someone put together a training presentation tailored to their new team members. That presentation got adopted by the company, and he became a trainer for all new hires.
Contribute
My first suggestion is to reach out to someone in the position and ask them if any projects come to mind that they would see value in you contributing to. This is an excellent way to add value to your network and get someone to endorse you.
Join a meetup group in your field. Reach out to the organizer and see if you can be a speaker for one of the meetings. Are you not feeling the interpersonal interaction? Go on GitHub and reach out to the maintainer of a project and ask to speak and see if you can contribute.
Keep Learning
Level up. Get certifications. Enroll in courses. Research the company and find out their stack. If you know what products they use, check to see if they offer training on the product. Lab, find ways to get hands-on experience with a tool you’d be using if you were in that role.
In Summary
Don’t stop improving. Put yourself in a position of power when the question “what makes you qualified for this position” comes up.
Is there anything I missed? Is there a topic you’d like me to cover? Feel free to shoot me a message by using any of the links included in the footer!
Thanks for reading!