Reading a Job Advert Properly Before Applying
Job adverts are written to attract applicants and to filter them. Read carefully, they tell you a good deal about what the role actually is and whether applying is worth the effort.
Essential versus desirable
Where criteria are split into essential and desirable, the essential list is generally applied strictly, particularly in structured recruitment processes.
Desirable criteria are used to differentiate between candidates who meet the essentials. Missing several desirables is normal; missing an essential usually means rejection regardless of everything else.
In less structured processes the distinction is softer, and applying when you meet most of the essentials is reasonable.
Signals worth noticing
A very long list of responsibilities spanning several distinct disciplines frequently indicates a role covering work previously done by more than one person, or an organisation that has not defined the job clearly.
Phrases about wearing many hats, thriving under pressure and fast-paced environments are not neutral. They describe something, and it is worth asking what during interview.
Reference to building a function from scratch means there is no existing process, no team and possibly no budget. That is an opportunity for some people and a difficult first year for others.
An advert reposted repeatedly over months suggests either a difficult role, an unrealistic specification or a slow process.
Salary and its absence
Published ranges are increasingly required by pay transparency rules in several jurisdictions, and where a range is given it is a genuine constraint rather than an opening position.
Competitive salary without a figure frequently means below market, or that the organisation wants to anchor on your expectations. Asking the range before investing time in an application is entirely reasonable.
Where a wide band is published, ask what determines position within it and what someone at the top of the band would be expected to do.
Process information
Note the closing date, whether applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and how many interview stages are described.
Rolling review means applying early matters. A fixed closing date means it does not, and a considered application beats a fast one.
The number of stages tells you how much time you are committing. Four stages plus a task is a substantial investment and worth knowing before starting.
Researching before applying
Look at who currently holds similar roles there and where they came from, which indicates the profile that succeeds.
Look at whether people stay. High turnover in a team is visible from public profiles and is informative.
Look at recent news about the organisation, which occasionally explains why a role exists.
Fifteen minutes of this frequently prevents applying for something you would not have wanted, and improves the application where you do proceed.
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