So what to do when a job posting asks for the kitchen sink, and you’ve only got a random assortment of kitchen gadgets on your CV? For starters, accept the fact that you’re not going to have everything they want. I know that many people giving job advice will say you’re wasting the search committee’s time if you apply and lack the required qualifications. That may be the case for an MLS degree—you either have it or you don’t—but for other qualifications it is often a bit squishier. As a Canadian colleague recently aptly put it on Twitter: “I never understood postings requiring specific skills. I have never known how to do something before it was my job.” Exactly.

For me, the question of whether or not to go ahead and try even if I don’t have every single qualification they list has everything to do with how many other job applications I’m working on, when they’re all due, and whether the other positions I’m looking at are better fits. If two jobs have the same (looming) closing date and I have everything that one of them asks for (or more things that they ask for), then I’m going to devote my attention to that one since my time is limited.

Another bit toward the end is helpful advice:

The key advice here is just get yourself in the door. Don’t misrepresent what you can do, but if you mostly meet the job requirements, throw your name in the hat. Tout what you can do, and how you want to grow and develop. A smart employer will also be considering your intangibles, and someone may well open the door. That’s step one.