Anecdotal share here. I know very few hiring managers that expect candidates to fit 100%, heck 80% even, of a posting. Those that do aren’t ones I would ever want to work for.

I look for 3 things. And that’s not a hard and fast rule or anything. Aptitude, motivation and culture fit. I also look to my peers and larger team for their thoughts along these points.

People (pleasantly) surprise you. My last best hire (I moved to away from direct line management in my new gig) was working at their local Walmart for a year after a tough layoff from a pre sales role. I thought I would get more push back but everyone including my then boss was like yeah. They just needs another opportunity.

And for what it’s worth, they were a great culture fit and figured the rest out along the way.