Apply for two positions under the same supervisor

Question

There are two positions that interest me under exactly the same supervisor. I have already contacted him through telephone and he told me that my qualifications make me a better candidate for the "lower" one. However, I must apply for the one with the most requirements because it was proposed to me by the job center (living in Germany, I may lose my unemployment benefits if I do not comply). The deadline is the same for both positions.

Is it ok to apply for both positions, given that my applications will reach the same person at the same time? Clearly I will try to personalize them for each position and also indicate (by including a serial number) that I was forced to apply for the higher one. But still, does it sound desperate?

Answer 1

Apply for each position. Attach a note to each application where you explain that while [state the supervisor's name] stated that you are a better candidate for the [state the name of the lower position] and you accept that, [state the name of the job center] requires that you apply for [state the name of the higher position] on pain of losing your benefits. Hence, the fact that you are applying for both positions.

You do what you have to do. You are desperate if you choose to be desperate. Even when situations are bad, we still get to choose how we react to them.