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From past few days I was searching on this topic on the internet but no article was enough to help me decide what to do in my situation. I have already visited lots of Workplace questions including this one How can I overcome years of experience requirements when applying to positions, in that question a person is applying for a job of 3 years of required experience with only 2 years of experience but I want to apply to a job where required experience is of 1 year and my experience is also of 1 year but in different IT field. So please don't consider this question as a duplicate.

Now my question is: I have 1 year technical support job experience in IT sector and I am a BE Computer Science graduate. I want to ask that am I eligible to apply to a software developer job of 1 year required experience with my technical support job experience?

I have the skills required for the job and I did more than 10 projects in software development during academics and during last 1 year.

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Ranjan
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    http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/194476/someone-flagged-my-question-as-already-answered-but-its-not – gnat Jul 30 '14 at 23:19
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    Ranjan: Check out @gnat's link. – Jim G. Jul 30 '14 at 23:46
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    Hey Ranjan, if folks are thinking this is a duplicate, you can always [edit] your post to clarify with more details. First, explain objectively and constructively what wasn't answered in the original linked post, then make it clear in the body of your post what your question is. This will bump this post to the top for review. See [ask] for more guidance on how to word your question for best results. Concise is okay, but not at the expense of a clear description of your problem and a clear, specific question. Hope this helps. – jmort253 Aug 01 '14 at 05:16
  • @jmort253 I have edited my question. Hope you will remove duplicate flag after review. There are many people who will find this question very helpful so please don't delete this question. – Ranjan Aug 01 '14 at 18:00
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    This is still a duplicate of the same question it was closed for. Duplicate questions do not get deleted they stay on as reference for people looking in the future. In your update you said what was different about the question, but not why the answers to that question do not apply here. That would be the key to getting this reopened. – IDrinkandIKnowThings Aug 04 '14 at 14:06
  • Ranjan, for more editing advice in addition to the above, see [ask]. Hope this helps. – jmort253 Aug 05 '14 at 03:12

3 Answers3

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I want to ask if I can apply to a software developer job of 1 year required experience with my technical support job experience?

Yes, of course you can apply.

But the key questions here are: does your experience meet the employer's requirements, and do you have the skills for the job? Unfortunately, that's something that can only be judged and answered by the employer.

If the job description states "1 year of development experience required" then you might not qualify. But often, job postings are less clear. And often, demonstrable skills can make up for some lack of experience.

Apply anyway. In your cover letter explain how your experience in tech support, your degree, and any other familiarity you have with development will make you a terrific asset to their company.

It's worth a shot - the worst that happens is they say "No".

Joe Strazzere
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  • +1 for your clear answer but sorry I don't have enough reputation to up vote. As per your answer my profile is not equivalent to those who have experience in development but still I should keep trying with my demonstrable skills. Thanks for the answer. – Ranjan Jul 31 '14 at 13:40
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As long as you're honest about your experience, there's no downside to applying (except wasting your time). The employer will access your experience just (s)he does with every application; if it's not enough, too bad.

Include any relevant "non-work" experience you might have, for example pet projects or open source contributions etc.

Bohemian
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  • I worked on more than 8 Java projects including one open source project I showcased on GitHub. Now if I apply to Java developer job (1 year exp.) can I mention about these projects to show that I have the required skills and I have 1 year of exp. in IT sector but in technical support field. Is that enough to get eligible and considered for the interview. – Ranjan Jul 30 '14 at 23:42
  • Definitely! Where I live (Australia), github commits and other community contributions (stackoverflow etc) are at least as important now as your regular work history. In some companies it is now more valuable - to the point that typically if you don't have the community aspect you won't get the job. – Bohemian Jul 31 '14 at 03:29
  • At least half the difference between a person with an engineering degree and no experience and one with a year or two of experience is in soft skills related to working in an office as part of a team not in increased technical skills. – Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight Jul 31 '14 at 15:06
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No one can stop you from citing your support experience. On the other hand, no one can prevent them from discounting it if that's what they want to do.

You might as well apply since you have nothing to lose by applying.

They, not you, will make their determination as to whether your skills are adequate for the job.

Vietnhi Phuvan
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  • Recently I update my profile on job portals with 1 year and skills as Java, Java EE and related technologies. Now employers will search on those job portals for Java candidates with 1 year experience and they will find that I have the required skills and experience. Now in average case will they consider me for the job or if I am eligible for that job? – Ranjan Jul 30 '14 at 23:54
  • @Ranjan When employers write things like "competitive salary, fun workplace" you get to determine if the salary is competitive, the workplace fun, and how important those are. When employers write things like "1 year java experience required", they get to determine whether you have the required experience and how important it is. (HINT: Sometimes it is not important at all and sometimes it is all important.) – emory Jul 31 '14 at 00:13
  • @emory Yes its true but what are my chances of getting hired. I know that employers are looking for best possible candidate but I want to know that how I can look like their best possible candidate because I have to find my own position, can I get a SCJP/OCJP certificate to make my profile look good or should I apply for entry level jobs as I don't have relevant experience in Java. – Ranjan Jul 31 '14 at 00:24
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    "Now in average case will they consider me for the job or if I am eligible for that job?" I don't have a crystal ball. Use yours. – Vietnhi Phuvan Jul 31 '14 at 03:37
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    @Ranjan no one here can tell you your chances of getting hired. – jcm Jul 31 '14 at 11:48
  • @VietnhiPhuvan If someone is asking a question on stackexchange then surely he/she is looking for an answer not an opinion. If you don't know what an average case may be here then you are not the right person who has the knowledge to answer this question. Even a layman can tell me what you have written in your answer and comment then what's the use of asking question on stackexchange. – Ranjan Jul 31 '14 at 13:29
  • @Ranjan "Even a layman can tell me what you have written in your answer and comment then what's the use of asking question on stackexchange" You already knew the answer, so why why did you ask? – Vietnhi Phuvan Jul 31 '14 at 13:33
  • How cqan we assess your chances of getting hired? We don't know you, the company or the competition. YOu might have plenty of experience and still not be the right fit or have less experience but be the type of person they are looking for. Or someone else may have a far better interview than you do. If you want to know if it is possible you would be considered, I would guess that it is-the postion is not looking for anything beyond entry level really with only a 1 year requirement. There tends to be less emphasis on experience at the lower levels of hiring than the the mid-top levels. – HLGEM Jul 31 '14 at 14:22