the job posting said "5+ years program management, ideally with policy experience." i have 3 years and no policy background.
i applied anyway because the mission matched something i care about and i thought the worst case was a form rejection. it was a form rejection. but what happened between application and rejection is the thing worth sharing.
because they did bring me in for an initial call. and that call turned into a real conversation about the organization's direction that i found more interesting than most interviews i'd had for roles i was technically qualified for. the director of programs was just a genuinely engaged person who seemed to enjoy talking about the work.
when the rejection came she wrote a personal note attached, not a form, that said they were going with someone with more policy background but that my portfolio on community partnerships was strong and she was keeping my details.
three months later she emailed me about a coordinator role at a partner organization. different organization, better fit for my current experience level. i start in august.
the specific lesson i took from this: in the nonprofit sector in particular, the interview process is often as much about whether you're a plausible person in their ecosystem as whether you tick every box on the JD. the JD is frequently aspirational.
also, applying for roles you're slightly underqualified for is part of how you find out where your actual ceiling is. rejection that reveals the ceiling is more useful than never applying.
still felt terrible to get the initial no. that part doesn't change. but the sequence after it mattered.