How To Determine Whether Your Experience Fits The Job Description Before The Interview

You found a great job posting online and you want to apply as soon as possible. Before you go through all of the work it takes to apply, craft a resume, write a cover letter and show up for an interview, you need to find out if your experience and qualifications fit the job description.

Find Matching Keywords

Mine the job description for the correct qualifications a hiring manager wants. Each point of a job description has keywords you can cull and then compile into a list. Review your own qualifications and experience, and make a list of your keywords that relate to the qualifications. Do these keywords match?

For example, the job description says, "Five years or more marketing experience." Your experience says, "Seven years as assistant marketing director." These keywords seem to match well with the job.

Some matches between experience and qualifications may not be so obvious. For example, you have 10 years’ experience as an event planner. You investigate a job as a fundraiser for a large nonprofit. Your event planning skills certainly come into play since many fundraisers involve events that donors attend. Sometimes, you have to think outside the box to match your experience with the job description.

Get More Information

Look for similar job descriptions within the industry. Does your experience match the qualifications wanted in these other postings? What is the industry standard?

Another way to get more information includes looking for a longer job description or asking for more details. Some job postings simply say, "Contact the hiring manager for more information." Call or email someone responsible for hiring to learn more about the type of person the company is looking for in a candidate. The more details you obtain, the more accurate picture you get when it comes to your experience matching a position.

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