Most people spend around 49.27 to 76.7 seconds going through a job description as revealed by a job posting site known as TheLadders. A majority of the job openings will usually be divided into various parts; a general review of the company, a key responsibility section, years of experience and certification in addition to other skills. But how then do you decide if the description matches your skill and certification? Well, find out below.
Do not get stuck on the job title
Most of the job descriptions do not tell the complete story, so do not spend hours trying to figure out what it really means. Rather, spend more time analyzing what is actually required for the position; certification, years of experience and added skill. Ensure you consider the level of experience required for the job, you do not want to be either overqualified or underqualified for the job position you are vying for.
Go through the job overview
An instant way to know if a firm or a job is what you would really want to get involved with is to look through the job overview section – commonly located at the beginning of the posting.
Understand the role of the job
Once you skim through the roles required of the employee for that position, you should highlight each role you have experience in and are willing to continue doing. This is a good way to see how compatible you are with the particular job opening. If in the end, you cannot highlight over half of the job roles you are interested in fulfilling or have no prior experience in, you just may not be the right candidate for that job.
Review the requirement section
Look through the certification, skill or general requirement required for the job (usually at the end of the posting). Some requirements will be compulsory while some may be negotiable. Identify the skills you lack for the job and come up with reasons why you can still fill in the position regardless. Also, you may attach a cover letter explaining why you are missing certain requirement for the job. If you get called up for an interview, you can explain further.
Do your homework on the Company
If the job role seems appealing, ensure you do your due diligence by finding out more about the company. What roles they play, recent achievements, what market they aim to satisfy and read up recent articles published about or by them. This will give you an overall idea of what you are actually signing up for.
Add your findings to your cover letter and resume
Once you have researched both the role and the company, you can include your findings in your cover letter and resume. Ensure that you highlight the requirements for the job that you meet and include added skills and relevant experience that are directly connected to the job. Your cover letter and resume will give your potential employers the impression that you are not only qualified but prepared to work for them.
