People who write job ads often times don't know much about the jobs, hence the keyword soup and outlandish timelines. You will do well to reach to hiring managers directly, making sure to explain why. I scan those emails for about 15 seconds each, most get discarded because the applicant couldn't be bothered to explain what attracted them to our company and how they are going to contribute. The latter part is most important, and can easily land you an interview.
So if, for example, you were hiring for a developer in Java and I sent an email essentially saying: "I did this language in school. I haven't done much of it in my current internship, but here is one of my last projects. I liked the language due to X, Y, Z reasons and am interested in the job for ABC. I apply myself when learning, and quickly pick things up. I can put you in touch with the professor who taught me the language to confirm that."
I may have a chance at an interview even if my credentials are well/mostly short of the posted job? I interview rather well when I do get a chance. I just don't want to spend time banging my head against the wrong wall.
We don't hire for language skills, so this will do nothing to persuade me. I am a lot more interested in someone who can own a problem and drive it to conclusion. Coding is part of it, obviously, but only one of many.
