How many of you have....

[Deleted]

successfully gotten a job/position which you 'technically' were not qualified for on paper. Ie. They want a certain amount or type of experience/ education, and you didn't have it... but you you do have certain other exeprience/ education/ knowledge which IS applicable, and know you could do the job.

If saw a job posting like that... did you apply? did you get an interview? did you get the job? If so... to what do you attribute your success? (or failure, if you want to talk about that side to)

How about those of you that hire? ... do you consider people outside of the criteria you specifically ask for?

[chiver78]

I have, and I got the job. well, sort of. I applied for an "Engineer II" level position fresh out of school, and was hired as an "Engineer I" instead. I have been in this position - since promoted, but same dept, etc - for 9.5 years now. it involves a different discipline of engineering than what my degree is in, but I've figured things out along the way.

I think it probably helped that my last co-op job in college (paid internship) was for a company that is still on the vendor list where I currently work. the guy I report to was the technical contact for a project that was ongoing while I was on that co-op job, so I already knew him.

[cronewitch]

My funniest was I was hired as a invoice control clerk. I told the interviewer I didn't know anything about invoice, can't type or spell and had bad handwriting. This was before computers but I don't lie on job interviews and don't like getting hired then expected to know things. She asked why I applied for the job so I told her I needed the work. She asked what I did before so I told her I had worked for a CPA doing bank recs, financial statements and things. She had been working on a bank rec for 4 days and said if I did the bank recs she would do the invoices. I worked there about 18 months and never did an invoice as an invoice control clerk. I did A/P, bank recs, payroll. financial statements and other things but never a single invoice.

[Deleted]

That is the case with my current position. If they advertised the job I wouldn't have all the qualifications they would list. BUT at the time the job came open I was the only one in the office that knew our main database. I let it be known that I would not train anyone that was hired over me.

[swamp]

Yes. I was hired as a the head of the Legal Aid office with 3.5 years of experience as a prosecutor and no defense or family court experience. I was in charge of running the county office that represents poor people in family and criminal courts.

[Deleted]

Yes. All of my jobs actually. So far I've been lucky. I started out as a workstudy.

My first full time job they wanted someone with a BA in English. I have an AAS is Comp Sci (programming). But I came from a long line of English teaches and I had been tutoring English for this department for a few years.

When I switched departments, they wanted someone with techincal support in their background. I didn't have any aside from friends and family, and none on my job history. I lucked out that they were desperate, and the other person was an outsider and bombed everything.

Then I applied for a tech position. They wanted A+ cert and 2 years tech experience. I had neither. Again, I was the insider, they knew my work, and apparently I was the only one to solve the test.

Then I applied for my current position. They wanted a BS in Comp Sci or AS and 3 years experience. I actually wasn't going to have my app pulled for interviews by HR because I didn't qualify. My boss had them pull mine and a coworker because they knew our work ethic.

So, mine has been because of being an "insider" luck, and they knew when I said I was a quick learner I meant it.

Now, I hire people also. I do consider those who don't qualify for interviews, because you never know what treasure (for lack of a better word) may turn up. Hope this helps.

[Deleted]

Yes. I worked in another dept. in the company and although I wasn't really qualified for the position I'm in now they knew I was trainable, dedicated, reliable and had a long work history with them. They gave me a shot. I'm thankful they did and they are too.
I was turned down the first time. They hired someone more qualified but that didn't work out. I almost didn't try the second time but am so glad I did.

[reader79]

This has happened to me. As of now I probably wouldn't get an interview for the job I currently hold if I was an outsider. Especially since I dropped out of college. Although it looks like I will be going back again this summer. The resume snobs in HR have tried to hold me back a few times, but I have been lucky to have managers who were willing to fight to have me promoted. Like xmascookie and tangent, having a proven history of reliability and hard work has paid off.

For one position, they brought in an outsider after I had been doing the job for a few months. The manager wanted me, but told me that her boss was against me. The other candidate had a masters, after all. It ended up that she wasn't a good fit, and transferred to another department after a year. I get called upstairs, the director offers me the job at a ridiculously low salary, (less than I was making w/OT,) and tells me that I should be happy that they are giving me a chance. I turn her down, but tell her that if she can top that number by ten percent, and i'm still eligible for OT that I will take the job. She calls me back up the next day and meets the number.

[Deleted]

Well, it looks like for most its an inside track and knowing people that provided the edge. That isn't my case, but I'm going to send my stuff in. Can't hurt. We'll see if i get an interview...

[cubefarmer]

My current job was posted as needing Powepoint and Excel - neither of which I know - and I got the job and have not needed either one.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Yes. I was finishing up my AA degree in Networking when I applied for an IT job in a different dept. They hired me with the expectation that I would finish my degree. Which I did.

I applied last year for a BIG promotion in my dept.. They wanted a 4 year degree AND experience in supervising "large groups of employees." I have an AA and supervising experience in supervising 5-7 employees. They decided I didn't have enough experience in supervising and no 4 year degree. I would have appealed had they only listed 1 deficiency - either the degree or the experience but I wasn't up to fighting Admin on both fronts. My plan is to go back to school for a 4 year degree and continue to apply for promotions internally. Once I have the degree, I feel I can win an appeal on the supervising front. I work for local gov't so appealing is acceptable/permissible.

It's probably better that I didn't get that promotion - I have 2 toddlers and the long hours at this stage would probably fracture something between DH and I irreparably since neither of us is handling stress particularly well right now.

[qofcc]

My current job (Financial Analyst) technically requires a Bachelor's degree and most of my co-workers have MBAs, but I was transferred in from Marketing (lateral move) during a re-org. Most of the jobs I've held since college have "required" a 4 year degree, but I didn't finish my 2-year degree until a few years ago. I've always gotten jobs based on work experience and good references (but not knowing an insider).

[Sum Dum Gai]

I'm not qualified on paper for the job I was initially hired for by this company, and especially the position I was promoted to that I'm in now. I didn't know anyone at the company when they hired me. I did have some relevant experience, I'm a quick learner, and they needed somebody with a top secret clearance, which is rarer out here than it is in other places. After that it's all about performance. If HR whines that I don't have a degree and this position needs a Masters they can shove it. Nobody really cares what the HR snobs think anyway.

[Deleted]

Oped, is it for a full time job? Are you still going to homeschool?


Sigh... we are CONSIDERING swapping roles for the next two years... If we are going to build a house, actually be the ones that build it, it will likely be husband that does most of the work (much as i love to try and take equal credit ) ... So he would be main role building the house and homeschooling... I'd be full time working and secondary to homeschooling... we're still under 'negotiations'... but i saw something i wouldn't mind, and feel good about my ability to do and make a difference at, and the money is ok... so i thought maybe i'd apply... and hey, if i get it, that would spur the decision... maybe... ( and if i get a sinking horrid feeling in my stomach when i go to interview, then maybe that's telling too...)

Its also interesting to consider interviewing when i don't necessarily need a job... i'm sure i'll be more discriminating, and maybe that's not the best way to go into an interview when you aren't 'exactly qualified'... ... anyway, wanted to see if people did this, and what they tended to emphasize...

[dcmetrocrab]

Yup and yup.

I got my first job straight out of college by attending a job fair clearly stating "minimum of 3 years experience required". I hit it off with one of the recruiters, they remembered my resume b/c of an unique language proficiency that had NOTHING to do with the job I ended up getting. What mattered was, my resume landed in a hiring manager's hands, and they slotted me in a spot.

Second job, I was a 90% match to the job description.

Third job was due to networking. Had plenty of relevant experience, but definitely not 100% of what they were asking.

On the hiring end, it's my experience that job descriptions are a wish list of an ideal candidate. Rarely is this person out there. I'm hiring now, and regardless of what I have on my want list, if they hit the core skill set, I'll call them in. The one thing I'm especially flexible on is education and years of experience.

[Plain Old Petunia]

Yes, I was not qualified for my current job.

I was a full-charge bookkeeper, and the CPA my employer used had an opening in his office for a staff accountant. He invited me to apply. I asked him what they wanted someone to do, and almost every single thing he named, I did not know how to do. I told him that, but he just waved his hand and said "Oh, you will pick it up."

So, I mailed in my resume, attaching the reference letter on the firm's letterhead which he had given me a few months previously (I requested it when applying for a different job). I had an interview and what do you know? They hired me.

[ihearyou2]

I was always quasi qualified but never have I had all the requirments from the job posting. Any job that I fulfill all the requirements for prior to me getting it, is going to be a majorily boring job and I'm not interested in that. I look for jobs where I think my work experiene makes me better then most but not a perfect fit.