Setting: your home
You're searching for co-op jobs, you click on one posting and think, Whoa! This is my dream job!"
When you scroll down to see the qualifications, you think to yourself, “Ugh… I don’t have all of the qualifications they ask for."
As you prepare your application, you wonder whether or not you should claim that you possess all of the skills required in the job posting.
In this scenario, you should be honest about your qualifications. If you are currently enrolled in a program at RDP, it may be tempting to lie on your job application by saying you have already completed your credential. However, it is important to only list credentials you have fully completed.
Employers understand that many student applicants will not have fully completed all of the listed qualifications for a position. They want applicants to submit an honest appraisal of their skill set so that the best candidate can be hired and appropriate on-the-job training is provided. If you have partially completed a credential, you may include that on your application: employers will understand that you are still a student.
If you have questions about a job application, you can ask RDP's Career Services.
Job Search & Lacking Qualifications (Part 2)
Setting: your home
You say to yourself, “I’ll say that I have some of the skills! If they think I’m qualified they will call me for an interview!”
Setting: a job interview, a few weeks later
At a computer, the interviewer says, “You have 30 minutes to complete the task. Once you’re done, please meet in the office next door.”
You sit down and look at the screen.
You say to yourself, “Uh oh. I don’t know to answer any of the questions!”
In this scenario, lying about your qualifications meant you found yourself in a situation you are not qualified for. Your interviewer will know you do not have the skill set you claimed on your job application.
Instead of misrepresenting yourself, you should have been honest about your job application. If you have partially completed a credential, you may include that on your application: employers will understand that you are still a student.
If you have questions about a job application, you can ask RDP's Career Services.
