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Analysing Job Vacancies

Often people rush into applying for a job without stopping to consider the following:

• What is this employer looking for in terms of skills and knowledge?
• What potential is there to develop myself in this role?
• What duties are really involved in this job/career area?
• Does this particular vacancy suit my personality and my portfolio of skills, abilities, experience and knowledge?
• Do I really want this job?

As it can take several hours to properly complete an employer application form, or target your CV and covering letter, it’s worth analysing the vacancy to ensure you really do want to put in all that effort!

The Job Advert

Some of these are very brief and tell you little other than the job title ie

Busy marketing company require adaptable, well-organised executive assistant. Graduate-level education preferred, Salary and hours negotiable. In-house training.

In such cases, you’ll need to obtain an application form and job details to find out precisely what the employer is offering and requiring. Job details should give information about: duties, qualifications necessary, skills and knowledge, sometimes subdivided into two lists: ‘essential’ and ‘desirable’. This means exactly what it says: you must meet 90% of the requirements on the ‘essential’ list, but the ‘desirable’ list is just that: preferred but not essential. In the employer’s eyes the ideal candidate will meet 100% on both lists. Most of us, however, are not ‘ideal’ candidates, but, hopefully, a very near match!

Other adverts are more detailed and give you some information about duties, level of seniority, skills, abilities and knowledge requirements. Also, any training or examinations you may need to undertake:

Although this advert tells you a little more than the first one, it leaves a great deal unsaid. As it requests a CV rather than completion of an application form, the advert is probably all the job detail you are going to get!

To make the CV and covering letter relevant to the requirements of the above job, we are going to have to ‘read between the lines’ and take a guess at what other qualities and skills will be relevant to this job. Look at the job advert again, then at the lists below and see if you can ‘fill in’ the gaps on the right-hand side of the page. Repeat this exercise for any job advert that interests you, where no further job details are available and which requires that you send a CV.

Qualities Why?

• Articulate
• Commercial awareness
• Business-like appearance; well-groomed
• Punctual and reliable
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Willingness to learn/study for professional exams
• Tact and integrity
• Ambitious, energetic

Skills Why?

• Oral (inc. telephone) and written communication skills
• Time-management and organisational skills
• Marketing; selling
• Driving licence?
• Ability to work unsupervised or in a team
• Interviewing skills; presentation skills
• Familiarity with Microsoft Word, Excel and Access