Missing an Important Skill? Should You Still Apply?

If you're considering applying for a job, one of the first things you will do is decide whether you have the required skills, particularly those that seem critical. After all, who wants to waste  time applying for a job thinking that there's no chance of even being contacted for an interview.

So, if you are missing a key skill, should you still apply? The answer in this article from experts on the Forbes Coaches Council is yes! They also make suggestions on how to do it.

From an employer's perspective, I'll give a recent example of how applying could work in your favor. In trying to fill an administrative position, I used a popular recruiting service to find and screen candidates. This service uses an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) similar to what many employers now use to initially screen for the most qualified job applicants .

I submitted a job description and job requirements for applicants to see. For screening purposes I supplied the required skills to the recruiting service for input to their ATS. This resulted in referred  applicants with a range from all of the skills to only one skill. When I narrowed the number of candidates for interviews, I actually considered my total view of the candidate as described in the resume with an emphasis on whether they would be quick learners and fit well within the organization. Skills were certainly considered, but no one was eliminated because they did not have an important skill. In fact, since most of the skills could be mastered by a quick learner, other factors were balanced against even the most important skills.

So should you apply if you don't have an important skill? I would say yes, but there are some caveats. How that will work out depends on how the organization makes selections. Some will use an ATS with narrowly defined criteria. Others, like myself, will use broader criteria or no ATS and also look for something different beyond skills. Finally, if you lack a critical skill that requires an extensive background or technical skills you don't have, for example, like professional engineering skills, then you are probably wasting your time regardless of how screening is done.