Reviewing Job Descriptions

Last week was a quick approach to writing a job description.  This week—what does the job description tell you, the candidate.

That, to a certain extent, is a mystery.  But, there are some good details available in every job description.

Read the job description all of the way through.  Is it formal, more casual, is it directive or more open, is it specific or general, does it sound like something you can do or want to do?

Then, re-read the job description and either pull out specific areas of interest or highlight keywords/key phrases/activities that interest you.  Take a look at what you’ve created—is it less than 1/3 of the tasks?  Maybe this position isn’t for you.  More than 1/2 of the tasks? Maybe it is for you.  Notice. that I didn’t ask you to pull out the things you can do—we know what you can do.  The real question is:  what do you want to do.  Over the long-term, you can do a lot of activities, but if you are bored, frustrated or unhappy, it doesn’t matter.  Let’s start the review from a place of strength and interest.

Now that you know you are interested in the position, look at the requirements for the position.  How do you meet them?  This isn’t a one-for-one measure:  you have 3 years experience/it asks for 3 years of experience.  This includes how you talk about the work you’ve done and the experience you’ve gained.  Job titles don’t always reflect your experience, and this is a good place to look at how you compare to the standard measure and how you share this information.

Then, look at the application requirements—do you want to complete these steps for this position?  Are there screening questions or just a resume?  Are there instructions for an email response with a specific subject line or an application link?  Is there a name to send information to or just a hiring committee?  Please follow the instructions!

Start to pull together your information, compare it to your review of the job description and decide if you are interested in applying.  If you are interested:  go for it!  Your enthusiasm will show in your application.