Don’t let the job description limit you

1. Not thinking that you are qualified enough

It is not uncommon for jobseekers to immediately disregard a role due to thinking that they are underqualified or do not have the required experience. However, if you have the relevant skills required for the role, there is every chance that an organisation will consider you, even if you don’t have the desired qualifications or experience. It could be that you have gained experience and skills in other roles that are relevant for the role that you are applying for, try to emphasize these.

You may even benefit from booking yourself onto a development or training course, in order to build your skills and confidence in a particular subject area; this is also a great thing to add to your CV, it shows that you have taken the time and initiative to further your skills and therefore boost your employability. There are plenty of free courses, both online and offline that could be useful when applying for jobs. It is also worth seeing if a prospective employer would consider supporting you in a training or development course in order to further your skills.

2. Taking time on your application

It is vital that you take the time to create a great application that will really show-off the skills and experience that you have and give you the best chance of securing an interview and ultimately a job. It can be all too easy to copy text from one application to another. However, this is a waste of your time as it will become apparent to prospective employers that you have not taken the time to create a personalised application. When applying for a role that you are enthusiastic about, it is well worth taking the time to complete an application that highlights the skills that you have and emphasises the benefits that you could bring to the business.  

Don’t be afraid to ask for help from family and friends, who can offer valuable advice by reading-over your application and giving you feedback on how you might be able to improve. There are also professional services available, where you can have someone read over your CV or cover letter in order to give you tailored feedback on how you can make improvements. In addition to this, you could research or contact the company that you are applying to in order to find out more about the organisation and the role to make your application stand out from the crowd.

3. Having an unconscious bias about an industry

Many people, whether they know it or not, have certain biases surrounding particular industries or even certain roles that could be preventing them from landing your dream job. This issue is particularly predominant in industries such as construction, an industry that is often referred to as male-dominated; however, many firms are working to ensure that they encourage and support females both when applying for roles and when they have secured roles with them.  

If you feel that you have been put-off applying for a particular role before because of preconceptions surrounding the industry or role, then it could be useful to research certain organisations in order to find out what they might be doing surrounding diversity and inclusion. For example, many organisations have staff network groups and support initiatives in place to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and accepted within their place of work.

Vercida gives you the option to filter job results in a number of ways such as, what is important to you and what you would want from a future employer; you can also filter results based on benefits, such as gym memberships and charity/ volunteering initiatives that the organisation offers its employees.

Vercida also gives you the chance to research potential employers and find out what they have to offer you before applying for a role, ensuring that you can find a workplace where you will be happy.

Vercida works with over one hundred clients who are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. If you are an employer and interested in working with Vercida to promote your diversity and inclusion initiatives and attract the best candidates, please call 02037405973 or email [email protected] for more information.

We are also officially recommended by Disability Confident as a step on achieving Employer status, please click here for more information.