What to do if you found a job that is way out of your league?

What to do if you found a job that is way out of your league?
If it is a position that you may be interested in stepping into in the future, you should be upfront with the hiring manager that according to the ad the company desires___ and you do not meet all of the qualifications but are interested in that career path and explain what skills you do have that may bring value to the company (always with the sense of showing what you can do for the company instead of how the company can help you). There may be a lower position available in that same department. Or, they may be so impressed with you that they create a job or change their minds after deciding not to fill another position at the company. Alternatively, it is possible that they do not have any other candidates or you are the best qualified of the candidates for the job and they give it to you anyway with the understanding that you will need some help stepping into the position because you do not want them to start off with absurdly high expectations.

Another spin on that is that, at least in my industry, it is a very common job posting to require a CPA license and "x" years of experience. In reality, it is just wishful thinking many times because many companies do not realize what a person with that license and years of experience is worth. Therefore, there will not be very many qualified candidates who are still interested in the position after finding out the salary. Others list qualifications in a job posting based on their (incorrect) knowledge of a profession completely unrelated to their own (example: a carpet cleaner seeking its one and only bookkeeper) and thus may lower their standards after reviewing resumes and cover letters of those who show interest in the position.

I really cannot emphasize this one enough. Under no circumstances should one lie about experience or qualifications. I have seen this ruin a career, especially in an industry that relies on integrity and trust and have actually had to do the busting before. Even if one goes many years until found out and ends up in a position of power, this can still come back to haunt. Just look up David Edmondson, the fired Radio Shack CEO.