How to Avoid Ruling Yourself Out for Internships/Jobs

You qualify for more internships and jobs than you probably realize. Here are some ways to make sure that you’re not ruling yourself out for roles that might suit you: 

1. Don’t be scared off by a job title. Job titles are short, and they are often shaped by factors that have little to do with job itself: creating internal consistency for the employer, making the position sound interesting, being broadly descriptive. Skip past a forbidding job title to scan the rest of the ad before you rule it out.
2. Skip straight to the requirements for the job before you read anything else. It’s often a bulleted list toward the bottom of the ad, headed with “requirements” or “qualifications” or “desired skills and education” or “you will have…” or similar language.
3. Read the requirements carefully, one by one.
4. Keep reading, even if you don’t see your specific major listed in the requirements. These lists are rarely definitive, and they often include the words “or related major.” The working world isn’t aligned well with academic majors. Employers often use majors as a proxy for what they really care about: skills. If you have the required skills for the job, you’re probably in “a related major.”
5. Check off the remaining requirements in your head. With each one, ask yourself: do you have that skill or ability? If you don’t, is it something that you would like to acquire or improve?
6. If you mentally “checked” more than half of the requirements, you can plausibly apply for the job. Lists of requirements often function more as “wish lists” than fixed expectations.  
7. An exception: state and federal jobs often distinguish “required” and “preferred” qualifications. Applicants who don’t meet the “required” qualifications probably won’t move forward. But most corporate and nonprofit organizations have more wiggle room.
8. Another exception: some internships don’t list an extensive list of requirements – the position posting only explains the organization, the internship, and the application procedure. Often, the unspoken requirements are: are you interested in this field? Do you have strengths and habits of mind that will help you benefit from this opportunity?  If your answer to both is “yes!” you are in a good position to apply.
9. If you’ve determined that you can apply for the role, the next question is: do you want to? Read the rest of the job ad to learn more about the responsibilities of the position, the organization, and the application procedure.
10. If you decide to apply for the job, go back to that list of requirements and use it to customize your resume and cover letter. Make sure that your most relevant experience for the role is at the top of your resume and that your bullet points convey the skills the employer is looking for.

Employers use job ads as a tool to market their open positions and draw in applicants. You can use job ads to expand your knowledge of the roles that are available to you.

For more ideas on navigating your future career path, visit our LAS Career Services Blog.