What is the Difference Between Essential and Desirable

The main difference between essential and desirable that the term essential refers to minimum qualifications that are necessary for a job, while the term desirable refers to non-essential, but preferred qualifications.

Essential and desirable are two terms you might see in job advertisements. Both of these terms describe the nature of the qualifications you need for a job. Candidates who possess both essential and desirable qualifications have a bigger chance of being selected for the job.

Key Areas Covered

1. What Does Essential Mean
     – Definition, Qualifications, Examples
2. What Does Desirable Mean
     – Definition, Qualification, Examples
3. What is the Relationship Between Essential and Desirable
     – Outline of Common Features
4. What is the Difference Between Essential and Desirable
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Desirable, Essential, Qualifications, Skills

Essential – Definition, Meaning, and Usage

Essential means extremely important or absolutely necessary. You can sometimes see this term in job advertisements – essential qualifications. Essential qualifications actually refer to the minimum qualifications required for a post. Moreover, essential qualifications for a job describes what skills, abilities, knowledge, personal qualities, experience as well as what professional qualifications (degrees, diplomas, etc.) candidates need for a position. For example, essential qualifications for a delivery service may include a driver’s license while essential qualifications for a college professor may include a doctoral degree. Similarly, a job in banking, police or armed forces may require a background check or a security clearance as an essential qualification.

Essential qualifications are non-negotiable and candidates without these basic qualifications should not apply for the post. Recruiters can use these qualifications to quickly identify the right candidates for the job.

Desirable – Definition, Meaning, and Usage

The noun desirable means attractive, worth having and wanted by most people. Like the term essential qualifications, you may also observe the term desirable qualifications in job listings. However, desirable qualifications are different from essential qualifications. They refer to qualifications recruiters consider to be important, but not essential. A candidate does not need these qualifications to perform the duties of his job, but they are additional skills that might help the company. For example, knowledge in a foreign language may be a desirable skill for a marketing job. Some examples of desirable qualifications include IT skills (for nov-IT jobs), knowledge in foreign languages, flexibility with hours, or even knowledge of a particular system.

A candidate’s chance of being shortlisted for the job will be greater if he or she possesses both essential and desirable qualifications. Therefore, possessing desirable skills and qualifications make a candidate’s application stand out among hundreds of job applications. However, there are no candidates with desirable qualifications, the employer will choose a candidate with essential qualifications

Relationship Between Essential and Desirable

• Essential and desirable are two terms that describe the nature of qualifications a candidate may require for a job listing.
• If you possess both essential and desirable qualifications, you are more likely to be selected for the job.
• If there are no candidates with desirable qualifications, the employer will choose a candidate with essential qualifications.

Difference Between Essential and Desirable

Definition

Essential means extremely important or absolutely necessary, while desirable means worth having and wanted by most people.

Type of Skills or Qualifications

Moreover, essential qualifications refer to minimum qualifications that are necessary for a job while desirable qualifications refer to non-essential, but preferred qualifications.

Applying for a Job

If a candidate doesn’t have essential qualifications, there is usually no chance of being shortlisted for the job even if you have desirable qualifications; however, if a candidate has only essential qualifications and no desirable qualifications, there is still a chance of being shortlisted.

Conclusion

Essential qualifications refer to minimum qualifications that are necessary for a job while desirable qualifications refer to non-essential, but preferred qualifications. This is the main difference between essential and desirable. If you possess both essential and desirable qualifications, you are more likely to be selected for the job.

Reference:

Image Courtesy:

1. “4043315” (CC0) via Pixabay