There’s no shortage of people who’ll offer you career advice, especially if you’re planning on changing to a new career or asking for a promotion. Not all of this advice is equal. Sometimes is pays to ignore career advice.

You don’t have the right kind of experience for that job.
While you may not have the exact background requested for the job, you may have similar experiences that will work if you really examine what your job responsibilities have been. For example, if you are in customer service and are looking to jump into sales, ask yourself about how many orders that you saved without referring the matter back to the sales rep or your manager. Selling, in many ways, is an extension of customer service.

In addition, look at any extra responsibilities that you have. Have you been asked to help train new hires? Do you turn in special reports? While these may not be “primary” job responsibilities, they still count.

Some skills transfer regardless of the products or industry. For example, accounting basics are the same regardless of the company. You just have to fill in the blanks regarding company policies and product lines.

According to this advertisement, you don’t have the education that the company wants. I probably wouldn’t apply.
Job advertisements are wish lists for the ideal candidate. Companies know that they will probably not be able to get someone who has everything that they want. If you have related experience or your skills more than fulfill other company requirements, apply anyway.

Don’t worry. You have the job in the bag.
The worst thing that you can do is go into an interview, no matter how qualified you think that you are, with an arrogant attitude.

If you are interviewing with a new business, research the company in advance so that you have relevant questions already prepared. If you are trying to change paths within the your current company, do some digging to make sure that you understand how the new position works and what you can bring to the table.

In addition, don’t forget to follow up with the appropriate thank-you notes. A thank-you note, whether by mail or e-mail, is a perfect way to emphasize your strengths while addressing any weaknesses that you think that you exposed during your interview. Sending a thank you doesn’t take a lot of time, but it can pay huge dividends, particularly since so many candidates don’t make the effort.