How to overcome 3 secret fears when applying for a new IT job

Many people will tell you they don’t like their current job. So what’s stopping them from getting a new one? Here is how to overcome three secret fears that might be stopping you from applying for a new IT job:

How to overcome your fears when applying for a new IT job

1) You fear your skills don’t exactly match the job description

Many people scroll through lists of job descriptions and ignore anything for which they don’t have precisely matching skills and experience. Their fear is that their abilities will prove inadequate to the job.

Now, there’s no getting around the fact that some skills are required for some positions. For instance, applying for a software developer job without being able to use the listed programming language probably won’t go well.

However, there is also the fact that demand for talent in the IT jobs market is currently vastly outstripping supply. This means some hiring managers might look past areas where you don’t quite meet their list of “desired” criteria.

This is especially likely to be the case if you can point to other elements of your CV that might help to balance out that lack – or offer something that other candidates don’t have, such as:

-Soft skills like communication (be sure to point to times you actually demonstrated these)

-The ability to learn fast (again, examples will be necessary)

-Existing experience in your employer’s industry, perhaps in a non-technical role

2) You fear making a career change

Because of the ongoing digital transformation happening in almost every industry and the rapid development and spread of new technologies, many new Information Technology jobs have been created in the past few years.

If you, like many thousands of other people, are seeking to ride this wave of transformation by changing industries, this can be a source of very reasonable nervousness. After all, you’re starting from scratch in a whole new field.

Simply remember that this is the position everyone starts in. There’s no guarantee that you’re any less prepared than someone coming into the sector by any other route – straight after graduating, for example.

Changing careers is a big step – but it’s also often a very worthwhile thing to do. What’s more, it gives you a wealth of experience in at least one other field to call on. It also gives you a point of view that can often be very worthwhile in an industry where groupthink is a legitimate concern.

To overcome this fear, remember what you have to offer and fully engage with the learning required by your move. You should also draw attention to it – and your motivations – in your CV.

3) You fear you won’t match up to other candidates

One of the worst recruitment innovations in recent years from the point of view of candidates is any system that tracks how many candidates have already applied for a role.

This can be instantly off-putting. Especially if you are also experiencing one of the two fears above – you’re changing careers or feel you don’t precisely match the job description.

The thing to remember is that modern job boards and platforms like LinkedIn have also made it much easier to apply for jobs in fields like IT.

This lowers the effort required to apply and can result in a lower overall standard of applications as people “hit and hope” even without the right skills – or tailoring their CV and personal statement to the role.

In turn, this can actually put you in a better position than most of the field – even if it seems large numerically. At least you’re thinking seriously about the opportunity and whether you match it! To overcome this fear you might want to:

-Remind yourself that quantity of applicants does not equal quality

-Edit your CV and personal statement to be more relevant to the role (many won’t)

-Check for any keywords in the job description and include them in your application

How to know if your IT job application fears are justified

Working with an experienced IT recruiter is always going to be the best way to know if any concerns you have about applying for a certain role are justified.

Ernest Gordon is a specialist IT recruitment company. We have a proven, open, honest, and transparent process that pairs you with exclusive opportunities you won’t find elsewhere.

Reach out to us today for a chat about your career goals and how we can help you reach them.