Here’s the deal: I’ve been applying to a lot of jobs. Most of them, I’m not “qualified” for. And by not qualified, I mean I don’t match their description perfectly. I don’t have 5+ years of experience, I don’t necessarily know my way around MailChimp (yet!), and I might not have experience marketing in their particular field. But I’m not letting that stop me. And I know why.
No one applying is going to be the “perfect” candidate
I mean, sure, there might be people that fit the job description a little better than me. But maybe they aren’t as good at writing, or maybe they aren’t as much of a team player. Maybe, they only look good on paper. Or heck, maybe I’m the closest to the ideal candidate and I don’t even know it!
Men apply for jobs they’re not qualified for all the time (and that’s perfectly fine!)
I’m not going to say it’s the main reason for why the pay gap exists, because there’s many factors that play into that. But we can’t ignore that if all of us women applied to jobs that aren’t “in our reach” as much as men do, it might help a bit. It’s time to take that terrifying risk, because, really, it’s not even a risk. What are they going to do? Say no? Jobs I am qualified for still reject me!
I might surprise myself
Recently, I got an online interview for one of those jobs I wasn’t qualified for, at least, a job I thought I wasn’t qualified for. They looked at my resume and wanted to hear more from me. And I may not make it further than that online interview, but now, I feel a lot more confident with putting myself out there. So I’ll be applying to those scary jobs, and maybe I’ll get one.
I’m ready to be bold
I never was a risk taker. I wouldn’t even show people my writing in high school. We’ll see if I even share this blog post. The thing is, I don’t want that to stop me from truly being successful. So I’m going to take those risks, publish this blog (hopefully), and, no matter what, I’m going to be proud of who I am and what I accomplished (or didn’t). And I hope that you, the possibly nonexistent reader, will join me in being bold.
Fellow college students, let’s enter that workforce with confidence.
Emily Lauinger 