Couple of months ago, after I finally landed my first dev job, I did a Q&A / AMA here, mostly about the process of getting a job, career change, etc.

Most of the questions were really good and could spark some interesting debate.
Like this one for example:

"How did you know you were job ready?"

The more I think about it, and the more time I spend working in this industry, the more I realize how relative this term is, almost to the point of starting to lose its meaning.

Here's what I mean by that.
Of course, we all know that technically it means readiness in terms of knowing the skill required for the job.
But what I've noticed, after several interviews, talking to a couple HR people, and working for a while, that knowing the skill required is only a part of the equation, and in some cases, it’s not even the biggest part.

The other, almost equally important part, is the candidate’s personality, and how well they can fit in with other people in the workplace. Just think about this - people need to spend (at least) 8 hours a day every day with this person, so how many do you think are ready for that if the person is negative, toxic, or simply a douche? Or someone they don’t have any common grounds with? Even if they are extremely good at what they do?

Another point I want to bring up is that sometimes, especially with smaller companies, the plans, the requirements, and the circumstances around growth and hiring are constantly changing and evolving. They may get new clients during the process, or lose some, or they simply may adjust their plans based on the people they are interviewing.

For example, when I was being interviewed for my current job, the initial idea was to hire two people for the position - one experienced and one beginner that would be trained (me). What ended up happening was they only hired me. Now I’m not saying I was so awesome as a beginner they didn’t even need another person - I’m just saying the situation and plans can change.

The moral of the story is this - "job ready", while technically not meaningless, is extremely relative and different from job to job, and from company to company. So my advice would be - every time you’re not sure whether you should or shouldn’t apply - just apply! Not only it can be a learning experience, but maybe they’ll end up liking you so much they’ll hire you even if you don’t completely fit the requirements.

Best of luck with job searching, I wish you a productive and joyful career!