Applying for a job you’re not qualified for
Hey there! The article you’re about to read is a summary of what I covered in Episode 8 of The Modern Z podcast. Here is a brief video about this topic. If you like this post and are more interested, feel free to check out the full version here. Enjoy!
When we as a society will look back 50 years from now at the year that is 2020, there is a high chance we’ll all have one common thought in mind. A thought that has wreaked havoc across the globe. One that has become synonymous with our daily greetings, habits and conversations: Covid-19.
There have been over 43 million confirmed cases of Coronavirus, with over 1 million deaths globally. Although the virus itself is not considered fatal to cause death, it has been severely fatal to the world economy. Fresh university graduates who stepped into this Covid-19 fighting environment don’t have it easy either. Nearly 10% of individuals in Australia aged between 20 and 30 years old lost their job between March and May 2020.
But wait, there’s nothing new here. In fact, you probably already knew this; or are tired of reading it again and again.
In essence, the ‘Post-Covid job market’ is the corporate world in the state in which it’s in today, after the effects of Covid-19. University students like myself constantly question what the world has in store for us once we graduate. For most of us, the next step after university is to secure a job, one that aligns with our area of interest. If that doesn’t work out, some of us have Masters’ degrees planned out. If you’re someone highly privileged, then maybe a gap year. Worse case scenario: Unemployment. Who knows?
Approaching the Job Market
Every day the news channels make it a point to showcase a new statistic, about how the unemployment rate, GDP and level of wealth have changed as a result of Coronavirus. Finding a job in today’s highly competent world is hard as it is, but even more so now because of Covid-19. A lot of employers are reconsidering the number of job openings they offer to students, especially with grad programs.
A lot of the job losses we’ve seen in Western, developed countries, have been service jobs. With white-collar jobs, what concerns employers is volatility, i.e. not knowing what the next 6–12 months holds. Private companies like startups may pull back on hiring to conserve some of their funding, which they may need in the future. When it comes to smaller-scaled companies, direct and simple outreach works best.
Last year the job market was one of the best for students to graduate into. A lot has changed since then. For those interested in working for companies, regardless of whether or not they have job openings listed, getting started on applying weeks, maybe even months in advance is ideal.
It’s a lot like sales. You’re selling something to an organisation that doesn’t know yet that it needs to buy that thing. It’s a $50,000 to $100,000 product that is you. A product that expensive, usually requires some work before the company goes ahead with it.
Applying for a Job you’re not Qualified for
Whilst Covid-19 has resulted in a number of job losses for some, it has also instilled a sense of resilience within others. Hospitality and retail sectors, that were hit pretty badly have also been experiencing increased job demand over the past 6 months. Students who weren’t planning on doing these jobs pre-Covid, are trying their hand at these cafe work, sales assistance and customer management roles to obtain some experience before applying in their area of interest.
When it comes to applying for a higher level corporate job, it’s important to note that the vast majority of job descriptions are not written by the people who will be actually managing the applicant; they’re written by HR people. Fast growing companies that are doing well often struggle with not being able to hire good people fast enough. So in a small company, if you can convey to the hiring manager (who is usually the CEO) that you’re a good, skilled applicant so they can hire you fast enough; you’re solving a problem for them.
Once again, direct outreach is the easiest way to go. Cold calling and cold emailing the company asking them about an opening, internship opportunity or entry level role can do wonders over the phone that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to by traditional applications over the internet. If you choose the latter, adding a personal website, portfolio relevant skillset and a cover letter along with your resume can help your application stand out from a sea of many.
Learning skills outside of a University classroom
Over the past few years, online course platforms such as Skillshare, Udemy, Khan Academy and even YouTube are being considered as potential threats to universities. On these sites, students can learn skills about pretty much any subject area, ranging from business, marketing SEO, graphic design, IT management, online trading, investments, photography, music and so on. One would think that why bother coming to university when you can learn whatever you need for a fraction of the price?
For example, take a Marketing student is looking to apply for a job in Digital Marketing, Advertising or Marketing Strategy. For this student, learning photoshop, video editing, graphic designing and SEO would be more beneficial and relevant versus learning about some Marketing theory taught in class once upon a time.
Nobody goes to university to learn, they go for a credential. By highlighting relevant skills in your cover letter, you’re essentially telling the employer that they would be saving precious time and energy associated with training someone by hiring you, who already knows and has used those before.
Every job application a recruiter gets, would have a resume, and each resume would likely have a degree. Having these tangible skills would separate yourself from the other candidates. It’s useful to have alternate ways of accomplishing what you want. Legal ones of course.
Getting a job isn’t easy. Then again, neither is anything else in life worth having.
If you’re a student, nervous about the future, worried about your thoughts, or overwhelmed with your beliefs, you’re not alone. The Modern Z is a blog and podcast channel, dedicated towards providing Gen Z individuals and students to share ideas, stories and experiences to relate to and resonate with.
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