Figuring out what potential employers want through their job advertisements can be one of the most stressful parts of job hunting. But whether a soon-to-be college graduate looking for that first job or a longtime worker searching for a different job, local human resource experts say there are ways for an applicant to determine if they’re a good candidate for the job.

One of the common misconceptions of people searching for a job is they think they have to be a complete master of it. That’s not what they (the employers) are looking for. Companies expect to have to do some training with their new employees. Sometimes job listings ask for preferred or required qualifications. Don’t let that discourage you from applying for a position you want because you may have other experience that offsets a preferred or required qualification.

For example, college graduates often have really good experience because they’ve worked in retail sales or public relations. Job seekers also shouldn’t let a job title steer them in a different direction either. If you carefully read the ad, you could qualify for some positions. Different firms might just give a different title to the same job you’ve been doing.