Job descriptions- wish lists?

denis92

Are job description requirements really like wish lists? Even the degree requirements? Has anyone experienced whether they are or are not?

aderon

Simplest answer unfortunately probably isn't the most direct. Some treat them as wish lists, some don't. Also, some companies that don't treat it as a wishlist and expect you to have everything listed, sometimes will make exceptions if you excel in other areas. For example, consider a company that has a hard requirement for 2 years exp in Linux and 2 years experience in networking. Even then, those companies will sometimes make exceptions if you excel in other areas or are especially qualified in some of the things they want (Say for example you had 6 years of Linux experience and 1 year of networking they'd potentially make an exception). The only way to know is to apply.

Cisco Inferno

Let's say Im an engineer at XYZ Corp.

I came in as a noob, barely knowing what ping is at $45k.

I end up learning badass things, like BGP, DMVPN, MPLS, some IDS/IPS, or some Nexus switching.

I leave.

Company XYZ, oblivious to everything, will now EXPECT to find a junior engineer at that same base rate who knows everything the previous person learned.

I have seen this so many times. It is their fault to expect these things from a person replacing someone who's leaving.

Nutsy

OP,

My personal opinion is make the other person tell you "No." Show up, apply and go for it. Never worry about not having enough experience/certs in XYZ.

On the flip side, if you do have all the requirements, they most likely won't hire you. (This I agree with.) Because, if you fit it perfectly, why go for it? There is no upside for you or the company. The company doesn't have an upside because, if already knew everything, they will perceive you as someone wanting to coast. Thus, a personality who isn't, or doesn't have to work/try hard, will become potentially toxic to others.

HTH

636-555-3226

My experience is most job postings are wish lists. companies say everything they're looking for in a candidate even if it isn't representative of the person who left or the actual day-to-day work load.

N7Valiant

Most of the times, not really.

I say that because I can match most if not all of the requirements listed and I either won't get a response back or get some automated message telling me they're moving onto other candidates.

However next week I will be having an interview with someone who listed 5 years of experience in telecommunications with hands on experience in switching, transport, datacom, video (I have no experience with those). After double checking with the recruiter to confirm that the hiring manager actually read my resume, they confirmed that they did know about my lack of experience.

So I suppose the honest answer is that it varies greatly between employers, but the majority of them have a reasonable expectation that you at least fulfill 50% of the listed criteria. I do get the feeling that with State and Federal civil service positions, those requirements must be met to a T or else the system will automatically **** your file.

TechGuru80

Lots of times you can judge which type of listing it is based on how much technology they list. If the job sounds fairly targeted, such as 5 years experience with Cisco + CCNP, or Juniper experience...the candidate they want is pretty targeted...if they list "experience with any of the following", I would always expect it's a pretty wide spectrum. With years of experience, usually there are categories that you can get your foot in the door...0-2 years...3-6 years...7+ years...10+ years, etc.

As N7Valiant said, government positions usually are very structured and if you don't match up you won't even get through the system.

Dojiscalper

So who communicates this to HR for the screenings? I don't have a lot of luck getting interviews when HR is the first to see my resume, however if I can get it in front of a hiring manager I get an interview nearly every time.

yoba222

If you want to be a doctor and get hired to practice medicine at a hospital in the US, you need a medical license. This is a state mandated thing.

If you want to be a lawyer and get hired to practice law in a courtroom in the US, you need to pass the state bar examination. This is a state mandated thing.

There aren't really any state-mandated licenses/exams to practice IT (exception: DoD), just whatever some corporations come up with as their HR policy. Therefore, job descriptions are negotiable wish lists. It just depends on how negotiable the company wants to be.

LordQarlyn

I've seen some pretty wild job ads, some that called for more years experience on platforms or technologies than those platforms or technologies been out. I've seen job ads along the lines of "Must have 10 years experience, must have MSCE, CCNP, VMWare, Juniper, CISSP, ITIL" and the position was only paying $50K - not even that much, just under. And these jobs are in the United States too.