Time is probably more valuable when you’re job-hunting than at any other stage in your career. With applications and CVs to write and interviews to prepare for, you certainly don’t want to be wasting time chasing jobs that aren’t for you. Make sure you read the advertisement carefully, so you have a clear idea of what the employer is looking for. The basic nature of the position should be clear from the content, particularly if it’s a display ad but also with most classifieds. Then ask yourself the central questions. Would I like this job? Is the pay high enough? Is the location convenient? Would it be a step forward in my career? Is there any single task mentioned in the ad that I would be either unable or unprepared to do?
A clear and informative job ad will provide the answers to these questions and give you the basis on which to either go ahead and apply or move on to the next one. Sadly, plenty of ads are less than clear. Some are clumsily put together, some assume far too much knowledge for anyone but someone very close to the company to understand them, and a few are put in deliberately opaque terms, often to provoke a creative response from applicants. Faced with one of these, do some research on the organisation on the internet or in publications. If this still doesn’t clarify the nature of the job, make a polite enquiry to nail down the details, and only then decide whether it’s worth applying.
