6 steps to getting the job you're not 100% qualified for

Understand the job and your skills

You always want to understand the job you're applying for — that's obvious — but when you're trying to position yourself outside of your normal area, it's even more critical than usual.

That's because you're selling your specific, transferable skills — not your previous titles. And the better you understand the job description, "the more you can hone in on what you know is important to that person," Licht explains. "You have to throw the skill set that you know they're looking for back at them."

Cut the jargon

Certain specifics may be very, very impressive to people inside your industry, but to people outside of it — like, say, the people in charge of hiring for the job you're trying to get — those details are (sadly) meaningless. Cut them from your résumé and cover letter.

Licht tells the story of a candidate looking to transition from healthcare PR to fashion PR — not, superficially, at least, a drastic career change. But her résumé was filled with the names of pharmaceutical companies and drugs, and those details weren't doing her any favors in fashion.

"The person in fashion is going to read this and think, 'OK, I don't know what you're talking about, I don't know these companies, these drugs mean nothing to me,'" Licht says. The thing the fashion people do care about? "The actual PR skills that she performed on behalf of these brands. That's the nugget that they're going to care about."

Lead with the positive

"I know my background in medical research makes me an unconventional candidate for the communications position, but..." is a tempting — and sincere! — opening to your cover letter, but it is not the one you want to go with.

"I wouldn't lead with the negative, ever," Licht says, in no uncertain terms. Instead, she advises, "flip it right around: 'My experience with A, B, and C would enhance your department because of X, Y, and Z reasons.'" That way, you're not giving them a reason to reject you — you're "opening their minds to another possibility."

And with the right spin (and the right hiring manager) it's even possible that your quirky career path could work in your favor. "Sometimes, it's a positive to have someone come from left field because you get a fresh eye and an outside perspective," Licht points out. Your experience isn't a blemish — it's a feature. The challenge is selling it that way.

Appeal to their humanity — and their ego

Finding a point of human connection can go a long way toward getting someone to take a chance on you. That's true if you're chasing your first internships, but it's also true if you're trying to change career directions. (In fact, it's probably true under all circumstances. People respond well to people who also behave like people.)

So how do you professionally connect on a personal level? "Acknowledge that person's recent accomplishment, or what that person has done for the company," Licht suggests. "Show you're really a fan."

Will you seem like a pandering suck up? Maybe, she concedes, "but really, have you ever met someone that doesn't like being complimented? Is that really a risk?" The key is to have the facts to back up your fandom. "If you start listing everything that person's done, at least you did the research!" she says. "You may have heard about the person one week ago, but you've done your research and it sounds good."

Ask the hiring managers what they need

Just as it's important not to get hung up on the job description when you think about applying, it's important to completely ignore the job ad when interviewing.

Instead, Ryan says that you should ask your interviewers probing questions to learn more about what is and isn't working at the company and what the hiring managers truly need help with. Then speak to how you can help.

Rachel Sugar contributed to a previous version of this article.