“Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying.” – Roy T. Bennett
I’ve been applying to different jobs and I was not fully qualified for a single one of them, not one.
When I first started applying it was scary. Knowing that I didn’t have a decent amount of the things that they consider to be qualified. Here is what I discovered, you do not need to be 100% qualified for a role. You actually don’t want to be fully qualified. If you’re fully qualified then it means you have no room for growth.
If you are 70% qualified then it means that you have 30% to grow, there is room to grow. I am hoping that you want to grow. That 30% is worth so much, it means that the employer trusts you and is willing to take a chance on you. It means that you will gain something from the job, something more than a paycheck ever will.
Be the 70% and own it, don’t lie or try to make up credentials or skills that you don’t have. Own the raw state that you are in. You are like a block of wood and all you need is a little direction to be carved into something beautiful.
If you’re being truthful and honest about where you’re at is one of the noblest things you can do. It shows that you are confident in where you are and if you prove that you can and are willing to learn you are going to do great things. Not because you are completely qualified but because you will become more than qualified.
People are too scared to apply somewhere if they aren’t qualified, here is a mind-blowing fact, you can still apply. If it’s a brand or a product that you are extremely passionate about and let that be your driving force. If you have this within you, the passion and the motivation then that 70% that you have will be enough.
Do not get discouraged if you are not qualified, because you do not have to be. You just have to do the best that you can, the worst thing they can do is say no, and either way it is a learning experience.