Required vs. Preferred Qualifications: How to Set Clear Hiring Criteria
A hiring manager wants experience with the team’s software. The recruiter considers it something a new employee could learn. Both agree the candidate needs strong problem-solving skills, but the job posting lists everything as required.
Before that posting goes live, the team needs to resolve one question: which qualifications are essential, and which would simply be helpful?
Required qualifications are the minimum criteria for consideration. Preferred qualifications are additional strengths that can help distinguish candidates who meet those minimums. Nebraska State Personnel’s 2026 applicant guide uses this distinction when explaining its job postings (Nebraska State Personnel, 2026).
For employers, separating required vs. preferred qualifications means making that distinction clear in both the advertisement and the decisions that follow.
Start With the Work the Role Requires
Before editing a qualifications list, identify the responsibilities the person will handle and the abilities needed to carry them out.
For each proposed requirement, ask:
Which responsibility makes this necessary?
What level of ability does the person need when they start?
What evidence would demonstrate that ability?
Could they develop it through the training we can realistically provide?
This approach has a current federal example. In April 2026, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management released job aids for federal IT hiring that connect assessments to competencies identified through job analysis (Hinton, 2026).
That guidance applies to its federal hiring context. The practical lesson for other employers is to examine the connection between each qualification and the work.
For example, if a role involves explaining technical problems to customers, describe the communication skill needed. Ask what a degree or a specific number of years would demonstrate before carrying either requirement over from an older posting. Confirm applicable credential, classification, and organizational requirements with HR before changing them.
Decide What Is Helpful but Not Essential
Once the minimums are clear, consider what would help someone contribute sooner or bring additional depth to the role.
Experience with a particular software platform might belong under preferred qualifications if the team can provide training. It may belong under required qualifications if the job genuinely needs advanced expertise immediately.
The difference depends on the responsibilities and available support.
A useful test is: Would we consider someone who meets every required qualification but lacks this preference? If the answer is no, resolve the disagreement before publishing. Either explain why the qualification is essential or agree how candidates without it will receive consideration.
Keep preferences purposeful, too. For each one, the hiring team should be able to explain what it adds to the work.
Required vs. Preferred Qualifications: A Job Description Example
Consider a hypothetical customer support role. The employee will investigate customer problems, explain solutions, and document outcomes. The team can train the new hire on its ticketing platform.
An illustrative qualifications section could read:
Required qualifications
Ability to explain troubleshooting steps clearly in writing.
Experience investigating customer questions and documenting their resolution.
Preferred qualifications
Experience using the team’s ticketing platform.
Familiarity with subscription billing inquiries.
The posting could also clarify: “We provide training on our ticketing platform. Prior experience with it is helpful but is not required.”
This example makes the training assumption visible to applicants. A role involving immediate administration of that platform would need a different assessment of what is essential.
The same distinction should guide what happens when applications arrive.
Carry the Criteria Into Candidate Review
A clear posting loses its purpose if reviewers quietly treat every preference as a requirement.
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s January 2026 recruitment guidelines provide one institutional example: required and preferred qualifications listed in its job descriptions must also serve as selection criteria (Illinois Human Resources & Office for Access and Equity, 2026).
For your team, agree before reviewing applications on how to assess each qualification and how preferences will influence comparisons.
In the support-role example, reviewers could assess written communication through a short, relevant sample using shared criteria for clarity and accuracy. Platform experience could count as an additional strength, consistent with the posting, without automatically excluding someone who lacks it.
These are suggested practices for the illustrative role. Our guide to structured interviews explores how shared questions and scoring standards can carry that consistency into interviews.
Why Clear Criteria Matter for Fair Opportunity
Consistency also matters to the person deciding whether to apply. They should be able to understand which abilities they need and which experiences would strengthen their application.
This is why the topic belongs on Diversity.com: access to opportunity includes having clear, job-related expectations and a fair chance to demonstrate relevant ability.
In the support-role example, separating software familiarity from troubleshooting skill leaves room to consider applicants who have done similar work using different tools. The employer still evaluates the abilities the role requires.
Clear criteria make that reasoning visible. They also give hiring teams a concrete way to examine whether a familiar credential or background is necessary for the work.
Final Thoughts
The distinction between required and preferred qualifications should hold from the first draft of a posting through the final candidate review.
Before publishing your next opening, ask the hiring team to explain why each qualification belongs on the list and how it will be assessed. Resolve disagreements while you can still give applicants an accurate picture of the role.
For help turning those decisions into clear wording, explore our guide to inclusive job descriptions. When your posting is ready, connect with candidates through Diversity.com.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can an employer consider someone who lacks a preferred qualification?
Yes. Preferred qualifications describe additional strengths beyond the minimum requirements, as Nebraska’s 2026 guide explains. Meeting the minimums makes someone eligible for consideration; it does not guarantee an interview or offer (Nebraska State Personnel, 2026).
How many required qualifications should a job posting include?
Build the list around the role’s actual needs rather than a target number. Each requirement should have a clear purpose, and the hiring team should know how to evaluate it. Review items that repeat another requirement or describe something the employer can reasonably teach.
Should employers remove degree requirements?
Review the specific role first. OPM’s 2026 federal IT guidance illustrates an approach based on demonstrated competencies instead of degrees as proxies (Hinton, 2026). It is not a blanket instruction for every occupation or employer. Check the role’s applicable requirements with HR before revising the posting.
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Sources & References
Hinton, V. E. (2026, April 13). Job aids for the competency based position classification and qualification standard for the Information Technology Management Series, 2210 [Memorandum]. U.S. Office of Personnel Management. https://www.opm.gov/chcoc/latest-memos/job-aids-for-the-competency-based-position-classification-and-qualification-standard-for-the-information-technology-management-series-2210.pdf
Illinois Human Resources & Office for Access and Equity. (2026, January). Recruitment and hiring guidelines. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. https://humanresources.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Recruitment-and-Hiring-Guidelines-Effective-January-1-2026.pdf
Nebraska State Personnel. (2026, January 26). Navigate external career site. Nebraska Department of Administrative Services. https://das.nebraska.gov/personnel/docs/NE_DAS_Personnel_Workday_User_Guides-Navigate_External_Career_Site.pdf
