As a resume writer, I often get asked, “Should I apply for a job if I don’t have all the experience and skills they list?”

If you’ve got 80 per cent of what they want or listed in the job advertisement as ‘essential’, go for it.

Keep in mind, if you’ve got ALL of the criteria, where’s the challenge? You want a job that stretches you and keeps you interested.

Having written that, if you’ve only got a few of the criteria, you’re wasting your time. Keep on shopping.

Sometimes for IT jobs, employers REALLY want applicants to have experience across a raft of software programs. Not just a few.

The reason is they want someone to hit the ground running and work on projects.

Professional resume writers will sometimes give advice (prepare to pay) on how to approach a job application.

Unfortunately, others are highly unethical and they will take your money knowing you don’t have a chance of getting short-listed.

My advice is to read the job description carefully and rationally assess your chances.

Then form a ‘partnership’ with a resume writer and target the application.