Deciphering job descriptions
Job descriptions can be the most insightful or the most useless documents in the hiring process, with just a few minor edits. Not all are created equal and most are just outright terrible at providing an accurate assessment of the role. Leveraging job descriptions to improve your search prospects is the best approach to assessing your skillset in comparison to the needs the company has outlined for the role. There are critical key words to look for that will provide you with additional clarity. Typically if you are looking for a job online what you should see is a job posting which is more like an advertisement than an actual job description. The goal of a job posting is to highlight the most relevant needs for the role, while also selling the unique offerings of the company. You should receive the full job description before your first interview and it's completely fine to ask if it is not offered. If the company is using the job description as the job posting, take note because there's an increased chance that the role you will end up in will have significantly more variations from the position you initially applied for. The difference becomes very clear once you are going through the interview process.
Use the job description as a tool. Compare job descriptions of roles that you are most interested in. Highlight the similarities and outline the differences. Score the job description against your resume to identify how many of the skills and requirements in the job description are also listed on your resume. This assessment will give you a better understanding of whether or not your resume is highlighting the most relevant skills based on the market. For the experience or requirements that are not included in your resume, are those truly not aligned with your skillset or just not included in your resume? Update your resume to include the experience and requirements you are most commonly identifying in the job descriptions you have selected to reflect your relevant skills and results. Taking time to do this work upfront will increase interest in your application and ultimately lead to more interviews. You are providing the recruiter and hiring team with the information they need to select candidates who are better aligned with the position and more likely to be successful in the interview process. This exercise will also help you prepare for the interview, because you have an outline of the tasks and responsibilities most relevant for this position, which will give you time to clearly outline the work examples you want to share during the interview.
There are also culture indicators to look out for when reviewing job descriptions. There are terms that should be seen as red flags such as, able to hit the ground running, can manage ambiguity, or has open availability or able to work a flexible schedule. Each of these terms point to varying levels of disorder and chaos within the company that has been packaged as a minor inconvenience to be expected. There are few jobs where someone can show up on day one and know exactly what to do, no matter how much knowledge and experience they have. There's also more than one way to solve a problem, add in the fact that systems and processes vary greatly from one company to the next and you will quickly find it will take time to learn how things are done, therefore, a new job is a new job each time. There are also terms that are green flags such as culture, people or employee-centered, and career growth opportunities. Unfortunately, because job postings and job descriptions are so poorly written, any mention of what the company is offering as a direct benefit to you is a plus. The caution with either is to take note and know what is in alignment with your career path and what would present a direct conflict with your lifestyle. Red and green flags could easily be yellow in reality.
When interviewing, here are a few things to keep in mind. Ask questions related to additional duties and responsibilities that are most likely to come up to get sense of the work that is not plainly stated in the job description. Be sure you clearly understand how the majority of your time will be spent. Don't settle for the everyday is different slant, because in each of those days there are skills and tasks occurring more often than others. Dig deeper and ask follow-up questions, until you feel confident in your understanding of the role. Ask each interviewer about their experience at the company. Listen intently, while also noticing facial expressions and other cues. Are people showing up to the interview excited to meet you and ready to engage or does your interview feel like just another task to tackle? Review your notes after each interview to ensure you are gathering all of the information you need to make a sound decision. It's important to look for any discrepancies in your notes and include a clarifying question during your next interview to be sure you have the right information. Lastly, check in with yourself about how you are feeling. If the job description excited you enough to apply, is the interview experience matching the excitement or raising more doubt?
Ultimately, the job description is a glimpse into what the role and company wants you to know. It's important to make sure the details in the job description that peaked your interest match what you learn throughout the interview process and align with the vision you have for your career. Don't force yourself to fit into a role that you have identified throughout the interview process, as not an actual fit for you. Even if some of the perks seem exciting. You may find that your more thorough assessment was accurate, once your rose colored glasses become clear.
Red Flag Terms Interpreted
able to hit the ground running- little to no training will provided, likely because the company is not organized enough to properly prepare for new hires
can manage ambiguity- life is ambiguous, calling this out in a job description indicates that the scope of the role is not clear and hopefully you can help them figure it out
has open availability or able to work a flexible schedule- this company lacks boundaries and is warning you up front that they expect you react to their pseudo-emergencies
Green Flag Terms Interpreted
culture- this is a company that understands you will be spending a significant portion of your time at work and make an effort to create an environment that isn't inherently draining
people or employee-centered- take care of your people and they will take care of your customer, there will not be customers to serve if there are not employees to serve them
career growth opportunities- people are meant to learn, grow, and thrive, companies benefit more from supporting the growth of their employees than attempting to indefinitely limit them to the role they were initially hired fill
*Written throughout the week and finalized while taking in the summer breeze on the living room floor.