How do I compare my experience to a job?

Make two columns. On the left, the role’s three to five genuine must-haves. On the right, one specific thing you’ve actually done that speaks to each — a project, a result, a decision you owned. Real evidence on most rows means you fit. Empty rows show you exactly where the gap is, so you can decide honestly instead of guessing.

Should I apply for a stretch role?

If you can evidence most of the core needs and name real examples for the rest, a stretch is a reach worth taking — people are often more likely to be hired into stretch roles than they expect, once they actually apply. The line to hold is honesty: a stretch means connecting real transferable experience, not inflating thin experience into something it isn’t.

What if I can’t think of any matching examples?

That’s useful information, not failure. Sometimes it means the role genuinely isn’t a fit yet. Just as often it means your own record has gone stale and the examples are there but out of reach. If it’s the second, the fix is to rebuild your accomplishment record — the match was always about evidence you could name, and that’s recoverable.

How to Tell If Your Experience Fits a Job (the Two-Column Test)

The short answer

Stop guessing a match percentage. Make two columns instead: on the left, the role’s three-to-five real must-haves; on the right, one specific piece of your own evidence for each — a project, a result, a decision you made. Real evidence on most rows means apply. Empty rows show you a genuine gap, or a role that isn’t for you yet. It’s a test you can actually answer, because it’s about you and not an average.

Why a percentage is the wrong question

“Am I a 70% match?” feels precise, but there’s nothing underneath it. You’re averaging fifteen bullets of unequal weight into one made-up number, then deciding your future on it. The number hides the only thing that matters: whichrequirements you meet. Meeting the three that run the role and missing four wish-list items is a strong fit. Meeting ten trivia bullets and missing the core is not. A percentage can’t tell those apart. A two-column test can.

Build the two columns

The left column comes from the description, read properly — the handful of things the role actually needs, not the whole list. If you haven’t pulled those out yet, find the role’s real must-haves first. The right column is yours: for each must-have, one concrete thing you did that proves it. Not “I’m good at this” — a specific project, number, or decision a stranger could picture.

Sample two-column test: Operations Manager role

Own fulfillment operations→ “Ran daily fulfillment for a 30-person e-commerce team; held 98% on-time shipping through a holiday peak.”
Manage people→ “Led a team of three; hired two of them and cut onboarding time from three weeks to one.”
Reporting and data→ “Built the weekly throughput dashboard leadership used to plan headcount.”
Vendor coordination→ “(no clear example yet)”

Three rows with real evidence, one honest blank. That’s an apply — and the blank tells you exactly what to speak to, or ask about, rather than leaving it as a vague worry.

Read the result honestly

Evidence on most rows, including the top one or two must-haves: apply, and let your application aim at the matches. A blank on a wish-list row: ignore it. A blank on a core must-have: that’s the honest “not yet” — either a real gap to close or a sign this role isn’t your next one. The test doesn’t make the decision feel good or bad; it makes it specific, which is what lets you act instead of stall.

Stretch roles, honestly

A stretch role is one where some evidence is transferable rather than exact — you’ve done the thing, just not in this title or industry. That’s legitimate, and worth reaching for. Transferable skill lives in howyou did the work, not in the job title: managing a project, earning trust across teams, making a call under pressure and owning the result. Those carry across contexts. What doesn’t count is inflating thin experience — stretching “I read about it” into “I’ve done it.” The test keeps you honest: a stretch row still needs real evidence in the right column, even if it comes from a different setting. If the right column is empty, it’s not a stretch. It’s a wish.

When you can’t think of examples

Sometimes the right column comes up blank not because you lack the experience but because you can’t recall it on the spot. Accomplishments fade fast; the win that defined a quarter is gone from memory a year later. An empty row is often a stale record, not an absent skill. Before you conclude you don’t fit, dig: reread old reviews, project notes, or messages, and you’ll usually surface evidence you forgot you had. The durable fix is to keep a running record of your accomplishments so the right column is never blank by accident.

Build your two-column test

1
List the role's real must-haves.
Three to five, in the left column — the things the role can’t do without, not the whole bullet list.
2
Match one piece of evidence to each.
In the right column, name a specific project, result, or decision that proves it. Vague claims don’t count; a stranger should be able to picture it.
3
Mark stretch rows.
Where your evidence transfers from a different context, keep it — as long as it’s real. An empty right column is a wish, not a stretch.
4
Chase the blanks before you trust them.
Can’t recall an example? Check your records first. Often the experience is there and the memory isn’t.
5
Decide on the pattern.
Evidence on most rows, including the core: apply. Core rows blank after you’ve dug: an honest “not yet.”

Common mistakes

Deciding by a percentage.
Instead: A number averages away the only thing that matters — which requirements you meet. Test the specific must-haves against specific evidence instead.
Filling the right column with claims, not evidence.
Instead: “I’m good at this” proves nothing. Name a concrete project, result, or decision a stranger could picture.
Calling an empty row a stretch.
Instead: A stretch means real, transferable evidence from a different context. No evidence at all is a wish — be honest about which you have.
Concluding you don’t fit because nothing comes to mind.
Instead: A blank is often a stale memory, not an absent skill. Check old reviews and notes — and keep a running accomplishment record so it doesn’t happen again.

From the test to the room

The two-column test does double duty. It answers “do I fit?” on evidence rather than vibes, and it hands you the raw material for the interview: the specific examples in your right column are the stories you’ll tell. Shape each one in STAR shape and the work you did to decide whether to apply becomes the work that gets you ready to walk in. Start from the deciding-whether-to-apply pillar if you want the full picture.

How to Tell If Your Experience Fits a Job