Keep applying

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Introduction

Many of you know you are qualified for the job but when you applied for it, you get rejected. They say you are either underqualified or overqualified. This can be very discouraging, especially when the position was filled by someone less qualified than you.

If you know you are qualified for a job, don’t let anyone make you feel inferior. Keep applying for the job you want and copy the relevant authorities including the labour department. I believe I shared part of my story with you before.

When I was offered the position of management accountant at Cable & Wireless, I accepted the offer knowing that I would become the financial controller within a year. A year came by, and I was not given the position, so I applied for the position when it was advertised. Many attempts were made for me to not get the position including offering me to go to Bermuda or Cayman to work saying that I need international experience even though I had international experience working in Canada. Anyway, the Board did not approve the work permit and so I was secured in the position for at least six years. After six years in that role, I applied for the CEO position. I met opposition too as there were no plans to replace the CEO, but the Government insisted that the position be given to a local.

How do you know if you are qualified?

When a job is advertised, the requirements for that job are listed. Review the requirements and tick them off. If you tick all the requirements, then you are qualified for the job.  Even if you do not tick all the of the points you may still be qualified depending on what the requirements are. For example, if the job requires 7 years’ experience and you have 5 years, still apply. If the job says that you need to speak Spanish or creole and you do know that it is not a requirement, apply for the job. You are qualified.

Some of you may be overqualified but I encourage if you want to be in that organization, apply for the position as that is one way of getting your foot in the door. If you are not qualified, apply for something else and get the necessary qualifications and experience so that within a few years, you will be qualified.

Keep applying

You may get rejected but keep applying until they hire you. You cannot give up on something that you believe in. I never imagined I would have been the CEO of Cable & Wireless but because I applied for the CFO role, I was one step closer to becoming the CEO.

Conclusion

The important thing for you to do is to become qualified for the job that you want and never give up. Once you have the qualifications and experience, no one can take that from you. In fact, if you have the right attitude and perform well, there may be some positions you may not have to apply for because offers and promotions will come to you.