dammit not again.....

[BlaqueKatt]

well I just heard via a friend that company x wireless is soon to be opening up a call center here in town. This wouldn't be so bad if their contract with us wasn't up and currently in negotiations. Add to that the fact that they're going behind our backs and offering our already trained reps jobs at the new center(company z that holds the contract paid for the training-that company x wireless is trying to reap the benefits of), which if we lose the contract, we lose the site, and that's 600 people unemployed. We just got the contract a year ago when a 10 year contract went out because they could pay people down south $6 an hour instead of our $9-even though most of us had been there for years. Even worse-I'm not supposed to know any of this. This wouldn't have happened if our reps would listen when we tell them what they're doing wrong(we've failed every Sarbaines-Oxley for the past year because they won't listen-badly as in maybe 10 out of 400 credits pass audit every week) Add in the fact that I've been actively looking for a new job for the past 6 months to no avail(very bad at cover letters), and have not heard back from anyone. I don't even want to get into the fact that the customer service jobs I was looking at either pay minimum wage, are part-time only, or want a bachelor's degree - who knew being a CSR required college. I'm getting very discouraged-any really want to cry. My husband keeps telling me to apply for stuff I'm not qualified for-because "if all they get are non-qualified people they'll have to hire one"-um no-the people on here at least make fun of the underqualified applicants that apply anyway, I really don't want to think that someone is going to make fun of me for trying to get a job.

[Sandman]

We actually don't make fun of the people who are underqualified.

Your husband is correct on applying to those jobs in which you don't meet the qualifications. The qualifications are just a benchmark in which they have compared to other companies. If they see someone who matches up closely, or seems to have the ability to be trainable, they will bring them in for an interview.

[Pedersen]

Say, BlaqueKatt, let me give you some info about those classifieds, please:

The people who write them, especially for large companies, don't know what they're talking about when they write them.

I'm a computer guy. There's very little I am unable to do on the computer (not trying to brag, just stating facts). And most of the ads I read I am unqualified to take. Why? They put in requirements that are not possible to meet.

One example I saw recently wanted someone with 10 years of .Net experience. .Net came out Feb 13, 2002 (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.NET_Framework ). I've heard (and seen) similar stories for Java, and other technologies.

The people writing the ads don't actually understand what is needed or desired by the department that will be doing the hiring. They hear one thing, run it through their HR translator, and out pops an ad which may or may not have any relation to what is actually being sought (too often, it does not).

Apply for those ads. You'll be surprised at the results.

[Seshat]

Also, ask for advice here about cover letters. Ask if one of the people here who's experienced at hiring would mind going over your cover letter and your resume. (I don't qualify, I'm afraid - so yeah, I'm volunteering others! But I've seen threads in the past about cover letters and resumes - a search on those topics would probably produce results.)

And yes, DO apply for anything you don't think you're qualified for - especially if you know you're good at learning. Be honest, but play up your ability and willingness to learn, and your general competence.

It's old now, but I still get mileage out of 'I've always been a quick learner when it mattered. Way back when, I had only been playing saxophone for six months when I was asked to play Orpheus in the Underworld - better known as the can-can - for our school play. I managed it.' I flesh that out with more recent stuff, of course.

Think back to any time that you learned something quickly, especially something vaguely impressive, and park that in your mind as an interview response.

[Dawnchaser]

Gotta agree with what's been said...

Try for anything you think you might be able to do, regardless of what the ad says. My company (a call center) always posts ads asking for bachelor degrees...and surprisingly, we do get folks with those. But they usually don't stay long if their degree is at all useful. I only have an AAS, but I'm still here and have gotten a promotion.

I can understand making fun of apps with a lot of bad spelling/grammar because clearly there's been no effort put in to actually get a job...but anyone who would make fun of someone for trying to better themselves and get a good job......you shouldn't even waste time thinking about a person like that. They're not worth it and you're better off without them.

[powerboy]

I never thought about that, to apply for jobs that I am not qualified for. Damn, things they never teach you in school

[JustADude]

I never thought about that, to apply for jobs that I am not qualified for. Damn, things they never teach you in school

It's not that you're not qualified for the job, it's that HR's listed qualifications are either grossly exaggerated or bear no resemblance to the real needs of the job.

[Seshat]

Noone's suggesting that you apply for work as a doctor, pharmacist or structural engineer, after all!

Just think about what you are capable of doing, regardless of formal qualifications. A lot of the time, what's needed is simply the skills, not the quals.

[Geek King]

Also, remember that real-world work experience can be substituted for schooling in many cases. IT work especially, but in other places as well. They may not mention this in the want ad.

[draggar]

It's not that you're not qualified for the job, it's that HR's listed qualifications are either grossly exaggerated or bear no resemblance to the real needs of the job.

It's the same thing when we put salary requirements on our resumes. Sure, we'd like to get that, but there's room for negotiations.

[scruff]

I never thought about that, to apply for jobs that I am not qualified for. Damn, things they never teach you in school

A chunk of the job 'requirements' are someone's wishful thinking, another chunk is written by some manager/HR person who has no idea of what the job actually needs.
The last chunk is what the job actually requires, but they'll train up the right applicant. Even if that's not stated, all jobs need some training.

My last job, I failed the two main requirements, a degree and ability to do computer programming. I got round the need for a degree by having relevant on-the-job experience, and the computer programming work? I kept the position for ten years and no-one ever needed me to program anything.

[Catwoman2965]

A chunk of the job 'requirements' are someone's wishful thinking, another chunk is written by some manager/HR person who has no idea of what the job actually needs.
The last chunk is what the job actually requires, but they'll train up the right applicant. Even if that's not stated, all jobs need some training.

Absolutey! apply for everything you might be even SLIGHTLY qualified for; or looks interesting - my current full-time job, which I got through an agency, had I seen the requirements, I would never have applied. Basically, they wanted experience in 3 different professions, all of which required additional education - no way any one person would have that experience. So I learned, if anything looks interesting, i apply. Most companies who say they want blah, blah experience, will train you how THEY want it done anyway, so just go for it!

GOOD LUCK!

[Shabo]

You can always put up a resume on Monster.com or something like that, too. There are headhunters that search through resumes and look for people that are well qualified for the position they are looking to fill, and you never know who may find you. Good luck!