IT Job Posts Are Wish Lists

“Entry-level position. Requires 5 years of experience.”

You’ve seen it. You’ve screenshotted it. You’ve probably rage-posted about it. And then you closed the tab and didn’t apply.

That’s the wrong move. You just eliminated yourself from a job you might have gotten, because you took a job description literally. Most people in IT do this. They read every bullet point like it’s a legal contract, decide they’re missing two requirements out of twelve, and move on.

What they don’t realize: the person who wrote that job description probably spent 20 minutes on it, copied half of it from a template, and listed a bunch of things that would be nice to have without distinguishing them from actual requirements.

IT job posts aren’t job descriptions. They’re wish lists.

And once you understand how they get written, you’ll stop disqualifying yourself from roles you’re perfectly qualified for.

How IT Job Descriptions Actually Get Written

The process behind most IT job postings is messier than you’d expect.

A manager needs to backfill a role or create a new one. HR sends them a template. The template was written by someone who doesn’t know what Ansible is. The manager edits it between meetings, adding every technology the team uses, every skill they wish the last person had, and a few things they saw on another company’s posting that sounded good.

Nobody reviews it for coherence. Nobody checks whether the combination of requirements is realistic. Nobody asks whether a single human being could plausibly have all of these skills at the listed experience level.

The posting goes live. Two hundred people see it. One hundred and sixty of them don’t apply because they only match 70% of the requirements.

The person who gets hired matches maybe 60%.

This isn’t an exaggeration. Research from LinkedIn and other platforms consistently shows that men tend to apply when they meet about 60% of listed requirements, while women often wait until they meet 100%. Both groups are looking at the same fictional requirement list and making different calculations about the same fiction.

The Copy-Paste Problem

Many job descriptions are Frankenstein documents. They’ve been copied from previous postings, edited by multiple people over multiple hiring cycles, and never fully rewritten. That’s why you see postings asking for experience with technologies the company doesn’t use, or job titles that don’t match the actual responsibilities.

A posting for a “Systems Administrator” might describe what is clearly a DevOps role because the company hasn’t updated its job framework. A “Help Desk Technician” posting might include responsibilities that belong to a network engineer because the last person in the role handled both and the manager didn’t separate them.

If you’re confused by what an IT role actually involves, the hiring manager might be too.

HR vs. Hiring Manager Disconnect

Here’s a common scenario: the hiring manager tells HR they need someone who knows Linux, can write basic scripts, and understands networking fundamentals. HR turns that into a posting requiring “5+ years of Linux administration, proficiency in Python and Bash, CCNA certification preferred, experience with cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP).”

The manager wanted someone who can open a terminal and write a cron job. The posting makes it sound like they want a senior cloud architect.

This disconnect happens constantly. And it works against qualified candidates who read the inflated version and decide they’re not ready. If you’ve been building real skills with hands-on practice, you’re closer than the posting makes it sound.

Myth: You Need to Meet Every Requirement

You don’t. Not even close.

The requirements section of an IT job description is a spectrum. Some things are genuinely required. Some are strongly preferred. Some are “it would be cool if someone had this.” The problem is that they’re all listed in the same section, formatted identically, with no indication of priority.

Reading between the lines:

Actually required (the deal-breakers):

• Things mentioned in the first 2-3 bullet points
• The core technology of the role (you can’t be a DBA if you’ve never touched a database)
• Security clearances or specific compliance certifications for government/regulated roles
• Degree requirements at organizations that have strict HR policies (some large enterprises, government)

Strongly preferred (you’ll be competitive without these):

• Specific vendor certifications (CompTIA, Cisco, AWS)
• Exact years of experience (especially when they’re high)
• Experience with their specific tech stack
• Industry experience (“healthcare IT experience preferred”)

Nice to have (filler):

• Anything listed after the first 7-8 bullet points
• Generic soft skills (“strong communicator,” “team player”)
• Experience with tools that take a week to learn
• Multiple programming languages when the role isn’t a developer position

If you match 60-70% of the actual requirements and you can articulate why you’re capable of learning the rest, apply. That’s not wishful thinking. That’s how IT hiring actually works.

Myth: Years of Experience Means Years of Experience

“Requires 7+ years of experience with Kubernetes.”

Kubernetes hit general availability in 2015. So they’re looking for someone who has used it since literally the first year it existed. These people exist, but there are maybe a few thousand of them worldwide and they’re running platform teams at major tech companies, not applying to mid-market sysadmin roles.

Year requirements in IT job postings are the most inflated numbers you’ll encounter. The translation guide:

What They Write	What They Mean
1-2 years	Some exposure, not brand new
3-5 years	Comfortable working independently
5-7 years	Can lead projects, mentor juniors
7-10 years	Senior/architect level
10+ years	They want a unicorn (or didn’t think about it)

The dirty secret: managers often can’t tell the difference between someone with 5 years of experience and someone with 3 years of intense, project-heavy experience. What they care about is whether you can do the work. Two years of running production infrastructure at a fast-paced MSP can be worth five years of maintaining a static environment at a government agency.

If the year requirement feels inflated, look at the actual responsibilities. Can you do those things? Have you done similar things? Then apply. Your resume needs to show impact, not just tenure.

Myth: Certifications Listed Are Required

When a job posting says “CCNA required” or “AWS Solutions Architect preferred,” there’s a meaningful difference between those two words. But even “required” certifications aren’t always enforced.

Many organizations list certifications because:

1. HR uses them as screening keywords in their ATS systems
2. The hiring manager knows the cert validates a baseline of knowledge
3. Government contracts mandate specific certifications (DoD 8570/8140)
4. The company gets vendor discounts when employees are certified

In cases 1 and 2, demonstrating equivalent knowledge through experience or projects often works just as well. If you’ve been running AWS infrastructure for two years but don’t have the Solutions Architect cert, you’re not automatically disqualified. You just need to make that experience visible on your resume and LinkedIn profile.

Case 3 is the exception. If the role is tied to a government contract with specific cert requirements, those requirements are real and non-negotiable. The posting will usually make this clear with language like “IAT Level II certification required per DoD 8570.”

Case 4 doesn’t matter for hiring at all.

Browse the certification options if you’re deciding whether a cert is worth pursuing. But don’t skip applying just because you’re missing one.

Myth: The Perfect Candidate Exists

Hiring managers write job descriptions describing their ideal candidate. That candidate almost never walks through the door.

Picture the posting: “Looking for a Systems Administrator with 5+ years of experience in Windows Server and Linux, Active Directory expertise, scripting in PowerShell and Python, AWS or Azure cloud experience, networking knowledge (CCNA-level), experience with containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), strong documentation skills, and the ability to work on-call rotations.”

That’s not one person. That’s three people combined into a single job posting. The person who gets hired will probably be strong in three or four of those areas, decent in a couple more, and willing to learn the rest.

Hiring managers know this. They write the wish list, see who applies, and then decide which skills matter most based on who’s actually available. The interview process is where they calibrate expectations against reality.

This is why you see the same position reposted after weeks or months. The hiring manager listed everything they wanted, got applications, realized nobody matched all of it, and either adjusted their expectations or reposted with modified requirements.

If you’ve been building practical skills and can demonstrate what you know, you’re already ahead of candidates who match more bullet points on paper but can’t perform in interviews.

What Actually Matters in the Posting

Forget the bullet points for a minute. Pay attention to these instead:

The Job Title and Team Structure

The title tells you the level. The team structure tells you the expectations. “Systems Administrator” on a five-person IT team means you’re doing everything. “Systems Administrator” on a 40-person operations team means you have a defined scope. This matters more than any individual requirement.

The First Paragraph

The opening paragraph (before the bullet lists) usually contains the most honest description of the role. This is where the hiring manager or recruiter describes what the person will actually do day-to-day. Read this carefully. If it sounds like your current job or something you could handle, keep reading.

Reporting Structure

Who does this role report to? A Director of IT? A VP of Engineering? A CTO? The reporting structure tells you about the organization’s maturity and where IT sits in the company. It also hints at growth potential. A role reporting to a CTO at a 50-person company is different from one reporting to a team lead at a Fortune 500.

What They’re NOT Saying

Vague language often hides important information. “Fast-paced environment” might mean understaffed. “Wear many hats” might mean no defined boundaries. “Self-starter” might mean no onboarding. These aren’t automatic red flags, but they’re worth investigating during interviews.

How to Apply When You Don’t Match Everything

So you’ve found a job posting. You match 65% of the requirements. Let’s make that work.

Lead With What You Have, Not What You Lack

Your cover letter and resume should frame your experience in terms of what the role needs. Don’t apologize for missing skills. Don’t mention what you don’t know. Focus entirely on demonstrating that you can do the core work.

If the posting wants AWS experience and you’ve worked with Azure, that’s cloud experience. The fundamentals transfer. If they want Python and you know PowerShell, that’s scripting experience. Different syntax, same problem-solving approach.

Address the Gap Strategically

If there’s a clear gap between your experience and their requirements, address it once, briefly, and with a plan. “I haven’t worked extensively with Terraform, but I’ve been building infrastructure-as-code projects in my home lab and completed the HashiCorp Learn tutorials” is a hundred times better than not applying.

For hands-on skills you’re actively building, tools like Shell Samurai can help you practice real Linux and security scenarios. Hiring managers care more about demonstrated initiative than checkboxes.

Use Your Network

Most people won’t tell you this directly: a huge chunk of IT jobs are filled through referrals. The job posting exists because HR requires it, but the hiring manager already has someone in mind or is waiting for a referral. Getting introduced by someone inside the company can override almost every requirement on the posting.

This is why networking in IT matters even when you’re not actively job searching. A warm introduction gets your resume seen by a human instead of parsed by software. When someone vouches for you, those “required” bullet points suddenly become a lot more flexible.

If you don’t know anyone at the company, check LinkedIn for second-degree connections. Look for alumni from your school, people from previous companies, or members of the same IT communities. A thoughtful connection request explaining your interest in the role is worth more than a perfectly tailored application dropped into the ATS void.

Customize Aggressively

Generic applications get generic rejections. For roles you’re genuinely interested in, spend the time to customize your resume for each posting. Mirror the language from the job description. If they say “infrastructure automation,” don’t write “scripting.” If they say “incident response,” don’t write “troubleshooting.”

This isn’t about gaming the ATS (though it helps). It’s about showing the hiring manager that you understand what they’re looking for and can speak their language. The recruiter reading your resume is scanning for specific signals, and matching their vocabulary makes those signals easier to spot.

When Requirements Actually Are Requirements

Full disclosure: sometimes the requirements are real. Here’s when to take them seriously.

Security clearances. If a role requires a TS/SCI clearance, you either have it or you don’t. Companies can sponsor clearances, but it’s expensive and time-consuming. Most won’t do it unless you bring exceptional skills to the table. The posting will be explicit about this.

Compliance certifications. Roles in cybersecurity, healthcare IT, or financial services may have genuine certification requirements tied to regulatory compliance. If the posting references a specific compliance framework (HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOC 2), any associated cert requirements are likely real.

Highly specialized skills. If the role involves maintaining legacy mainframe systems in COBOL, they actually need someone who knows COBOL. These niche skills don’t have equivalents. If a posting is looking for a specific niche technology and you don’t have it, that’s probably not your role.

Licensed positions. Some IT-adjacent roles in regulated industries require specific licenses. Network engineering roles at telecommunications companies, for example, may require FCC licensing. These aren’t negotiable.

For everything else, apply with confidence and let the interview process sort out fit. The worst that happens is you don’t hear back. The best that happens is you land a role you almost talked yourself out of.

Red Flags in Job Postings That Actually Matter

While you should ignore inflated requirements, there are real warning signs worth noting:

Technology contradictions. If a posting asks for “10 years of experience with Kubernetes and Docker” in an “entry-level” role, the organization has no idea what they’re hiring for. You might still get the job, but you’ll be walking into chaos.

Unrealistic combinations. “Full-stack developer + DBA + security analyst + help desk support” in one role means the company wants three employees at one salary. This is common at small companies and MSPs, and it can be a legitimate learning opportunity if you’re early in your career. But know what you’re getting into. Check whether the company is actually a fit.

Salary ranges that don’t match the requirements. If a posting lists senior-level requirements with a junior-level salary range, they’re either hoping to find someone desperate or the requirements are wildly inflated. Either way, proceed with caution and be ready to negotiate.

Perpetually open postings. If the same role has been posted for six months, either nobody wants it (red flag) or they’re “always collecting resumes” (waste of your time). Check the posting date before investing energy in an application.

The Application Math That Actually Works

Nobody wants to hear this, but applying to jobs is a numbers game. Just not the way most people play it.

The spray-and-pray approach of sending 50 identical resumes a week doesn’t work. Neither does spending four hours crafting the perfect application for one role. The sweet spot is somewhere in between.

A better strategy:

1. Filter ruthlessly first. Spend 30 seconds on each posting. Does the first paragraph sound like something you can do? Is the company real? Is the salary reasonable? If yes to all three, move to step 2. If not, skip it.

2. Match against the core requirements. Look at the top 3-5 bullet points. Do you match at least 60%? If yes, proceed. If not, move on unless you have a referral.

3. Customize in batches. Group similar roles together. Customize one base resume for each category (sysadmin roles, cloud roles, DevOps roles) and make minor tweaks for each specific application.

4. Apply to 5-10 well-targeted roles per week. Not 50. Five to ten. Spend real time on each one. Quality beats volume every time.

5. Track everything. Use a spreadsheet. Note the company, role, date applied, and any follow-up. When your job search feels stuck, this data will tell you where to adjust.

If you’re just starting out and feel like you don’t have enough experience for anything, you’re probably wrong. Check out how other IT beginners landed their first role for realistic perspective.

FAQ

How do I know if I’m qualified enough to apply?

If you can do 60% of what the job description asks and you’re willing to learn the rest, apply. Hiring managers expect to train new hires on company-specific tools and processes. They’re hiring for potential as much as current skill. The interview is where they assess fit, and you can’t get an interview if you don’t apply.

Should I mention skills I’m currently learning?

Yes, but be honest about your level. “Currently building projects with Terraform” is fine. “Proficient in Terraform” when you’ve only completed one tutorial is not. Hiring managers appreciate candidates who are actively learning. Just don’t overstate where you are. Show your work if possible: a GitHub profile with real projects speaks louder than self-assessed proficiency levels.

What if the posting says “degree required”?

In most IT roles, this is negotiable. Many companies list a degree requirement because it’s in their standard template, not because the hiring manager cares. If you have relevant certifications, a strong portfolio, and demonstrated experience, apply. The IT industry has been moving toward skills-based hiring for years. Some companies still enforce degree requirements rigidly (particularly large corporations and government agencies), but most are flexible.

Is it worth applying to jobs posted more than 2 weeks ago?

It depends. Jobs posted 2-4 weeks ago are often still actively reviewing candidates. After 4-6 weeks, the role might be in the final interview stage, but applying still puts you in the pipeline for similar future openings. After 2-3 months, the posting is either stale or the company is struggling to fill it. Neither is great, but it’s not necessarily wasted effort if the company interests you.

Should I follow up after applying?

Wait at least a week, then follow up once. A brief email to the recruiter or hiring manager (if you can identify them on LinkedIn) expressing continued interest is fine. Don’t follow up more than twice. If you haven’t heard back after two follow-ups, move on and keep applying elsewhere. Recruiter ghosting is unfortunately common, and taking it personally will slow you down.