Acknowledge weakness in own job application or not?

catonkey

Just wondering when applying for a job where you may not be the best qualified candidate is it better to glaze over your weak points or acknowledge them and try and overcome them in the cover letter? I'm not talking about a situation where you blatantly fall short of the essential criteria, but perhaps one where the position is at your level or just above it and would be seen as career progression. For example a job wants 5 years in an area of work, you would have 4 years in that area and 1 year in a related area or where the requirements are somewhat fluid etc. Is it best to address that kind of thing in the cover letter or just say nothing about it and hope you get through on the strength of your CV?

I think in this market there's always highly qualified people going for the mid-level jobs so for around the mid-level or even the lower level wanting to progress it can feel like we're underqualified for everything!

Teyla Emmagan

Say nothing about it. No candidate is ever a 100% perfect match for a job spec. If your CV is strong and you come across well at interview then you will still be a contender for the position. If you're way out of the ballpark though then the person reviewing your CV will see this instantly.

You are only introducing doubt and coming across as lacking confidence if you point out your own weaknesses in your application.

Remember, it can take confidence and brass balls to get some jobs. The only way to get a promotion at times is to apply for a job you have proven ability for, not experience of.

Put your best foot forward.

leeroybrown

Don't undersell yourself. Your CV and cover letter are your foot in the door to get you into the interview. The last thing you want to do is give someone a reason to bin yours.