When applying for a job, how does *experience level* factor in?

[Bia]

Meaning, do you only apply to those that fit your experience level? Or do you stretch?

I''m noticing a lot of the jobs in my field are looking for 5+ year of experience, and since I am currently still working on my graduate degree, I don''t necessarily have that experience.

So, I guess my question is, would you still apply, or only inquire about positions that are more entry level?

TIA

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Applying for a job that suggests 5+ years may be a stretch, but advanced degrees certainly speaks for itself. I always suggest applying if your believe the job would be a good fit for you because you never know what a company may be willing to compromise on. And besides, even if applying only gives you a 50/50 shot, that's better than not trying at all.

 

[Lauren8211]

I agree 5+ might be a stretch if you have ZERO experience. If you have a couple of years, I would apply for 5+ stuff.

If you can get your foot in the door for an interview, correct number of years of experience or not, if they fall in love with you, they''ll work around their "expectations." Finding someone who is a fit for the company is a lot harder than finding someone who can just fill a job.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Do jobs in your particular industry require M degrees, or will that be a really good selling point? Will everyone else working in the jobs you're looking at have M degrees?

I look at job descriptions as a wish list, what their ideal candidate is. Just because they ask for 5 years of exp doesn't mean they wouldn't be willing to take someone with less if that person was impressive in other areas. For example, my current job description has 7-10 years of exp, however I was hired with 6 years because I had a particular combination of education and experience that they were interested in.

That being said, everyone has to pay their dues, and if you have zero office or industry experience and you're really just breaking into the market, you should be prepared to take an entry- or lower-level job regardless of your level of education. Many people these days have gone to grad school and it's been shown that a masters, unless used in a pretty specific industry, doesn't get you all that far ahead of people with BAs.

These days I think you have to take a chance and send your resume out to anything and everything that you 'think' you're qualified for or you might find interesting. The worst that can happen is they say "nope, not qualified" and throw you in the circular file. Or, they could interview you for the position and give it to you or suggest a different position.

 

[mrscushion]

With a couple of years of (relevant) experience and a graduate degree, you should definitely be able to apply for 5-years'' experience jobs, IMO.

 

[suchende]

Just apply for everything you like. I applied for a secretarial job out an organization I wanted to work for and they created a new job on the spot so they could hire me. You never know what''s going on behind the scenes, don''t limit yourself!