Should I Apply for This Job?
Have you ever heard the term “Spray and pray”? This is what we call it when people liberally distribute resumes without much care for the job description. In other words, apply everywhere and hope for the best.
Sure, this could be considered a strategy, and if your job search is fairly homogenous and saturated — i.e., “Enterprise Account Executive in Tech” — it might just work.
However, if you’re applying for various jobs in different verticals, I recommend taking more care to understand the job description and adapt your resume to show how your skills align with its requirements.
First, a quiz:
The question is “Should I apply for this job?” Which answer is correct?
A. Sure, why not? The worst they can say is no.
B. Not if you don’t meet all the requirements.
C. If you meet at least 70% of the skills listed in the job description.
If you picked “C,” you’re right! As career coaches, we generally encourage candidates to apply for jobs if they meet at least 70% of the requirements.
How do you know if you meet 70% of the requirements?
Option “Old School”:
If you’re old school, you can:
