Imagine you are looking for a job. You find one, but it is above your level of experience. Should you apply for it? This is a question that I didn't think I would be dealing with for a long time. I started a solid job with a great company about seven months ago. I love what I do and have a great culture at work. But I recently found out that a position will be opening up internally that would be a step up for me. The only problem? I have little experience. 

However, in the past I have encouraged people to go for jobs that are above their level, because the requirements are really a sort of "wish list" for the company that they use to screen out undesirable candidates. I have nothing to lose from applying for this position, but if I wimp out, I will always wonder if I could have done it or not. I sat down and made a list of what I have going for me in this, and it's actually not as bad as I thought.

Pros

• I know the company, people, culture, and mission. I have a pretty solid understanding of who our clients are and how we serve them. Plus, I’ve already proven that I am a good fit for the culture here.
• I know the issues we are having that the person in this position will be in charge of solving. I am already building a proposal that will address these issues.
• I have formal education that applies to this job. Nothing really substitutes for experience, but knowing how it’s supposed to work is better than complete ignorance.
• I am connected with people who would be more than happy to assist me through training and advising, and I have a large network of people to bounce ideas off of.