Dissecting the Job Posting

Dissecting the Job PostingDissecting the Job PostingHow long do you spend analyzing a job posting to determine if you are qualified and interested in the job and company? Probably not long enough.According to a study by the job-posting site TheLadders called Shedding Light on the Job Search, 44 percent of job seekers said they spend between one and five minutes reviewing a job posting, and 19 percent said they spent between five and ten minutes reviewing a post. In reality, the eye-tracking study, which analyzed how job seekers read and evaluate job listings, found the time spent looking at a job posting only averaged 49.2 to 76.7 seconds.See 8 Things That Are More Productive Than Staring at a Job Board.Most job postings are broken into several sections a general overview of the company and the role a key responsibilities section, listing job duties a qualifications section, which includes educational requirements, certifications, years of experience and other skills. Heres how to th oroughly evaluate a job description before you decide to apply.Move past the job title. Job titles can be misleading. Skim through the entire job posting and pay attention to the years of experience the position requires. Years of experience usually equate to the level of position. One to three years is usually considered entry level, four to nine years is midlevel and over 10 years usually indicates a senior-level position. This should also help you determine if you are underqualified or overqualified. Applying for a job you are overqualified for is just as bad as applying for a job you are underqualified for. Also notenzeichen if the description asks for industry- or job-specific experience or whether relevant experience is acceptable.Review the general overview or summary section. Within this section, usually listed at the top of the posting, you can learn about the company and get basic information about the role. This helps you determine if its the type of job and company you m ight be interested in working for. Read every job responsibility. Review each job responsibility and highlight the things you have already done and want to continue doing. You should have experience with at least half of the listed responsibilities, and highlighting the list helps you assess how well you match. If you do determine this is a job you are interested in applying for, you will have to come back to this section later. See How to Follow Up on a Job Application Without Being Annoying.Review the requirements section. You will see educational requirements, general skills and experience in this section, which usually falls at the bottom of the job posting. Some requirements will be critical or nonnegotiable to the employer, some may be flexible, but you wont know the answer unless you speak with the hiring manager. Identify the requirements you are missing and write a reason why your other skills or experience compensate for those you lack. You may choose to use these answers in your titelbild letter to overcome your missing qualifications. If you are lucky enough to get an interview, you will need to provide these answers during your interview.Read between the lines. You may notice some job descriptions sound very generic. The lack of specific requirements shouldnt hurt your chances of hitting the mark. A business analyst job description might require that the candidate possess excellent communication skills. What this really means is that the job will require you to compile your research and analysis into a written summary. Rather than generically listing communication skills on your resume, use the words report writing or written analysis in your summary and in a bullet point under your work experience. The bullet point should be an actual example of a time you produced a written summary, for example Conducted industry research and wrote executive summary used to present analysis to senior leadership. Led to entry into new consumer market worth potent ially $5 mio in revenue. Read about the company and understand what they do. Once you decide the job is interesting, investigate the companys products or services, know who their customers are and read testimonials. You want to do your due diligence on the company before you apply by asking your network about the company, looking for articles written about the company and checking Glassdoor for employee reviews. Accentuate the rare skills. Many applicants will be tossing their hat into the ring for the same jobs you are interested in. You want to meet the requirements plus add information that will knock the employers socks off, or at least, get them to notice you. Is there a technology skill listed as optional that you possess? Be sure to include these sorts of things on your resume and call attention to them in your cover letter by explaining why the skills will be valuable to your future employer. See 8 Tacky Job Search Faux Pas.Include your findings in your resume and cover lett er. Researching the company and understanding the role will help you customize your resume and cover letter. Your resume must prove you have the specific experience and skills requested. It is important to revise your resume to match the responsibilities you highlighted in the responsibilities section of the job posting. You want your resume to include as many of the job responsibilities as possible, without exaggerating or lying. Your cover letter will connect the dots and show the reader not only that you are qualified, but you are well-versed on the company as well.