Analysing Job Advertisements
One of the biggest challenges when writing your resume is to make sure it addresses what the employer wants. It is a challenge to write a targeted resume, but it’s also sometimes difficult to work out what an employer wants. Some job advertisements provide a good description of the requirements of the position. They include selection criteria and give the applicant good information about what they are looking for. Sometimes job advertisements give you very little. It’s up to you to find out more information by contacting the person listed in the advertisement (either by phone or email). See the next page for help on how you might go about contacting the employer.
The key information that you need to find out when you look at a job advertisement are the:
- Name of the organisation
- Title of the position and its function within the organisation
- Classification and salary
- Description of the job
- Selection criteria or documentation
1. Name of the organisation
The advertisement may name the organisation and may give an introductory paragraph about the organisation. Many recruitment agencies may not identify the organisation because they don’t want their competitors to know they are recruiting, what projects they are working on, or applicants to directly contact the organisation. For these job ads, you will need to contact the recruitment agency to determine the organisation.
However, in the majority, the name of the company is mentioned. From this information you can research the organisation: what it does, where it is located and what it is like to work for.
Additional information about an organisation can be obtained from such sources as:
- Annual reports
- Web sites
- Brochures
- Government directories
- Newsletters
- Newspaper articles
- Contact officer
2. Title of the position and its function within the organisation
All job ads have titles, however it is not unusual for an employer to call the job something different when you attend an interview. They may call it a graduate position or call it ‘Accounts clerk’ or ‘Accounts assistant’.
The title of the position often identifies the key responsibility and key function of the role. For example, note the difference between a Records Manager and a Records Assistant. Both positions have responsibilities for record keeping, however the primary function of the first position is to manage, while the primary function of the second position is to assist.
The advertisement may give an introductory paragraph about where the position is located in the organisation. It may reference what program, section, branch or division the role sits in and who the key reports are.
3. Classification and salary
For most public sector positions, there are set salaries for classification levels. It is best to contact the person listed to find out more details.
For other organisations, the advertisements clearly state the salary level or salary band, while others don’t mention them at all. This is because the employer may be open for negotiation around salary depending on the applicant.
Salary level may also assist you with whether the position is an entry-level graduate position or a higher level. You can use the salary data to gain a perspective on how much graduates should expect to earn.
4. Description of the job
The advertisement may contain a brief description of the main duties of the role. This is not the only information about the job. You can obtain a duty statement and talk to the contact officer to find out more. The contact officer often works in the area of the position, is the supervisor of the position, or involved in the selection panel.
For more information on what to ask the contact officer please go to the next page.
5. Selection criteria or documentation
The advertisement may refer you to a website or give you a contact point for obtaining selection documention or criteria. Selection documentation provides further information about the job, but selection criteria are the most important part of the material provided. The selection criteria are used to decide whether you should be interviewed by the selection panel. Having received the selection criteria, resist the temptation to start writing your job application straight away. You may need to carry out further research.