Recently, I talked about revamping your resume skills section, but this is only one part of the major puzzle. Today, I’m going to be talking about quality job postings and what you should be aware of before submitting your job application.
Why would a quality job posting even matter? Well, the job of an HR recruiter is to find the appropriate candidate and a quality job posting helps accomplish this. Additionally, it creates value for the poster and the potential candidate.
When I was applying for internships and jobs, I very rarely noticed bad qualities in the job posting. Honestly, I was very concerned with getting my resume in first, which may have been a bit desperate. When I took the time to really look at the job, I noticed what sets apart a good job posting from a not so good one. Ultimately, a job posting is like a blueprint for the person applying. That is why you should pay attention to them because it can be really insightful into where they are and where you are career-wise.
It Should Tell You What They’re Looking For
This seems like a no-brainer but believe me when I say that some job postings don’t tell the person what they are looking for. I remember when one of my friends applied for a job and was called for an interview. In prepping for the interview, she had no idea what questions to ask. It was hard for her to prepare because the description was not clear. Before submitting your job application, really take a good look at the posting. Is it clear what they are looking for? If not, you may have a hard time tailoring your resume (which you should be doing for each posting). It will also be hard to be fully prepared for your interview and consequently for the job if you’re chosen.
It Should Have Specifics
Now, a good job description should have a few specific things that will indicate what the daily duties will be like. With most jobs, the day to day is never the same. However, if the entire description is vague, it really doesn’t do you any justice. Before submitting your job application, make sure the essential duties are clearly mapped out. That way you have an understanding of what is most important to the poster. If the duties are not clearly mapped out, then you run the risk of applying for a job that doesn’t really have a defined structure.
It Should Be Unique
I absolutely hate copy and paste job descriptions. One time when I was applying for an internship for one company, I noticed that another internship posting with the same company had the exact same description. For example, the consumer marketing posting had the exact same information as the international marketing posting. Clearly, these are two different types of marketing that need two types of duties. Most people who are in a hurry to get a job or an internship aren’t even aware of something like this. However, if you want a quality internship, and especially a quality job, pay attention to this before submitting your job application.
Hopefully, these tips will help you navigate the world before submitting your job application. Sometimes job descriptions are very telling of the kind of environment you could be working in. Keeping a lookout for these things will only help you strengthen your quality job searching. Remember, it is completely okay to be a little picky because I guarantee that these tips will help you get the quality job you want.
Question of the day: What things do you look for before submitting your job application?
As always, if you like these types of posts or if you are looking for more career-related advice, click here.
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This is such an interesting/helpful read! I definitely agree with the point that your application should be unique as the job market can be quite competitive at times and it’s so important to stand out. Will definitely be taking a look at this again before sending off future applications, great post!
http://www.smallbrownandstylish.blogspot.co.uk
Wow, this was really helpful and came at a right time for me! Like you mentioned, I look for a detailed description, containing a list of duties because that helps me map out my questions and gives me some control over my interview. This was a great post, thanks for sharing!
This is some really great advice when looking for a job! Love it!
Ciara | http://www.teatimewithciara.com
As a current job hunter, I found the advice you’re giving here really helpful. I’ll definitely be paying even more attention to the job descriptions.
This is actually something I’ve never really thought about! Far too often I’m just focused on myself and the quality of my application, to even consider the quality of the job listing! It’s actually important that we’re a little more nit picky, in order to get a job that is best suited to us! I always enjoy your employment advice posts, I’m still at uni but I know that in not too long I’ll be needing to apply to jobs, so hopefully I can hit the ground running and avoid some silly mistakes! x
whatevawears.co.uk
I’ve been applying to internships since last year so I’ve been doing a lot of tailoring to my resume to make sure that it’s perfect! One thing that a few advisors of mine told me was to always make sure that your wording matches the term/wording in the description of the internship since sometimes it’s a computer that scanning through the resumes to see a best fit!
I’ve seen so many internships not have any detail, just a literal submit resume here thing, with a vauge-ish title of the position – and as much as having any internship would be awesome, I personally didn’t feel like applying to a position & place I had no idea about – a lot of research is a must!
One thing I really noticed when going through multiple internship descriptions are which ones were more personalized vs the ones that were more generic/bland in a way (if that makes sense) – the personalized ones always included the workplace environment in a unique way!
-Sahara
http://saharas-dreams.blogspot.com