Hi Emma

 I find myself struggling to even comprehend what’s written in a job description.  Corporate language doesn’t make sense to me, after years of working in small businesses and speaking vernacular. I’m told I should apply for jobs even if I don’t have all the experience they ask for, but it makes me anxious. I don’t know how to market myself well and doing what people tell me to – puffing up a resume or lying about experience – feels slimy.

Corporate language can difficult especially as each company may use similar words differently. Doing some research on a company your applying to will help

Yes apply for jobs your interested in even if if  don’t have all the experience they ask for. This does not mean falsifying your resume which would be slimy.

Focus and highlight the experience that does match as well as a ability to learn.  Things change so quickly today that what most employers really want is someone that can learn and adapt quickly even if they don’t mention it in the job description. The ability to learn is a major skill to have and be able to communicate.

You are not wasting the companies time by applying to positions you don’t have all the qualifications for. Most likely a computer will be used to parse your resume looking for key words before a human will look at it.

Learning to sell yourself in a cover letter and resume is important and their is a lot of online help available. I liked to use the personality tests like myers briggs to help find creative wording for specific qualities. Even the astrology, numerology, what color am I… can be helpful in thinking out side the box in describing abilities. You don’t have to believe in such things to find the way they word things helpful especially if your not great at such things.

Writing a effective cover letter and resume is a skill which can be developed. Every job you apply for is a opportunity to practice. I ended up creating a spread sheet of my skills and abilities with multiple ways to describe and communicate them. This way I could pick which ones fit the job description the best – words I used to describe my skills matched words the job description.  Again this is not lying or padding a resume. It is about selling the skills you do have.

I hope some of the above helps.

but I worry I am not good enough

No buts allowed! You are good enough and have every right to apply for positions that interest you and that you can see yourself succeeding in putting you best foot forward. If the company doesn’t respond or say no that is not about you it wasn’t the right job for you.  It really isn’t personal. They have no idea what a wonderful person they passed on.

A healthy detachment from outcomes is a key skill to develop when job hunting. Believe in yourself, be kind, be honest, be flexible, be creative, imaginative, open and go for it.  No but’s

I truly believe the following

“If you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.”
― Joseph Campbell

Be open to opportunities you never imagined