It’s a familiar feeling. You’re reading a job ad, getting excited, nodding along — and then you hit a line that stops you. Essential: experience using Salesforce. Or Essential: three years in a fundraising role. And just like that, you start to wonder if you should even bother.
But here’s the truth: lots of people who get the job didn’t tick every single box. And lots of hiring managers don’t expect them to.
“Essential” is often just a wishlist. It’s what the hiring team thinks would make their lives easier — not necessarily the only kind of candidate they’ll consider. People write job specs in a rush. They recycle old ones. They add things that sound good without thinking too hard about whether they’re truly non-negotiable.
So what should you do?