‘Finding the Perfect Match. How to Know When You’re Right for the Role from the Job Post.’

It’s tempting to see what we want in a job post, skipping over the signs and details that may be telling us we’re not right for the job or the job is not right for us. This article begins to suggest how to assess from what’s written and what’s not whether we’re a potential fit for role and culture before we spend valuable time on an application.

Once we’ve decided to search for the next thing it’s tempting to run headlong into applications. When anxious just to keep the rent paid we can forfeit quality of application for quantity. When excited by what appears a dream opportunity we can be blinded by what we hope will be, rather than what is more the reality. Reading that job post we somehow see ourselves the perfect match, conveniently skimming over anything that might be telling us we’re not. Likewise, in our optimism for what we dream it could be, we blindside the clues that it might not be the opportunity we hope it is. 

Landing the next role is hugely significant to us all. Whether we’re entering the job market for the very first time or mid-career disillusioned and looking for change, or eager to take on the next challenge, once we start the journey we’re emotionally engaged. That’s where we need to apply strategy to maintain focus and energy, only targeting the opportunities that are a match for us. The temptation to press send to dozens of opportunities in the hope that one of them pays off is counter productive. Time and energy is wasted on jobs we never had a chance in being considered for but far more importantly it risks increasing our sense of rejection and reducing our confidence. The more rejection, naturally the less confident we may feel. So why apply for jobs we were never going to be considered for in the attempt to feel like we’re being proactive and ‘in control’? Use that energy to be selective instead. Let’s focus.

Having decided what our next role should look like we can begin the search for a match. The likelihood is that by focussing on what we’ve decided on the opportunities that match will be a smaller pool than if we dived in without a strategy. Here’s when we may begin to be tempted to convince ourselves we have found a match where there isn’t one. Resist. 

So how can we recognise the role that’s right and avoid wasting time and energy on something we would eventually discover just isn’t?

Looking at it from the point of view of the employer can help us understand more on what they’re looking for and so help us understand if we’re a match from the outset.

Browsing any jobs board we can see that job posts come in many variations and levels of detail. Some are beautifully presented with a consistent employer brand voice and template; others are more slapdash but most consist of the same elements. Let’s take a look at each and what they mean to the employer.

About Us

Usually the advert will open with a paragraph about the company. This is the opportunity for the employer to say a little about themselves: their mission, vision, structure and culture. Some use this as a factual exchange, more and more its used to promote themselves as an employer of choice. Either way, a paragraph won’t tell us the whole story. We need to dig deeper, from company website to trusted employee review sites to reveal a bigger picture. This might be an opportunity for a promotion but is it the right company for us to thrive in? Do our values align with theirs?

About the Role

Next is often an over view to describe the purpose of the role: key accountabilities; key skills needed; how it sits in the organisation; where it sits in the team; who it partners for success; who its supported by etc. Some employers again will use this as a promotional opportunity as if speaking to their client and promoting the top talent they have rather than the prospective applicant. This is an opportunity for the employer to communicate, beyond selling the opportunity, what their expectations are and what your expectations should be. Sadly, it can be thin or generic so we should read it and then ask ourselves the questions that remain unanswered. If we choose to apply and successfully get to interview they’ll be some of the questions we need to ask. 

 

Responsibilities

Sitting beneath a role description will be the bullet pointed responsibilities. For more senior roles it may be top line accountabilities for more entry roles it may be a detailed list of duties. This break down of the job design is critical and where we start to really digest what their expectations are and whether our skills and experience meet them. It can also say a lot about the team and organisation. How realistic do we feel the list is? Are there any total curve balls? Some roles are well thought through. Some are not. Is this a list that we would consider manageable and expected from the role and its level of accountability and implied salary? We have probably all come across the entry level jobs advertised that demand the experience of a second jobber but want to pay the salary of an intern; The roles that throw in office management responsibilities to avoid investing in a dedicated role; The role that expects one to deliver the work of a team of four. 

Another red flag could be a generic list of responsibilities, the sister to the poorly designed role is the role that’s been cut and pasted from another ad (it happens all the time) and recycled without any thought on the specific design. If the list seems like you’ve read it many times before its familiarity could indicate a role that is not well defined rather than a role badly designed. This could lead to role and responsibility confusion once hired and could indicate a time poor hiring manager and poorly structured team.

Break it down. What are their expectations? Do they seem designed and well thought out? Do they match ours? If so, the question then is do we match the role profile in experience and skillset? Work through it line by line. Have we had that experience? If not, are we ready to take on that challenge? How can we demonstrate we’re ready?

 

About You

Lastly - We’ve been told about the employer and the role now they want to tell us what the successful candidate looks like. This is often split across two lists, the Essential and the Desirable skills and experience that the company believes are needed to succeed in the role and therefore succeed in selection for interview. This is the opportunity for an employer to have thoroughly thought out what is required for the role. As with the above it can be ill thought out – generic phrases thrown in: Is ten years experience really needed or is it a set of capabilities they assume 10 years brings that’s required? Is a degree really needed – what if we have the ten years of experience? Is being multi lingual essential or should it be on the desirable list? That said, the majority of hiring managers will have put this list together as the profile they need us to match. There is no point double guessing and we should address each point on the Essential list as exactly that. How do we match?

It is important to note that due to the high volume of applicants for most roles (and they maybe recruiting for more than one at any time) initial impact and obvious fit is imperative. We cannot expect a hiring manager or their support to be reading our CV and six page cover letter leisurely over a latte, deeply considering our transferable skills. It may happen but I’ve never experienced it in my HR lifetime.

I recommend only on rare occasion should an application be sent if the essential list is not well matched by our skillset. Here’s why. For most roles you will have a gate keeper. They are the support, the recruiter or the in house HR or talent team that are filtering the applications. They will be making a filtered list to present to the hiring manager. The criteria that helps them filter the applications is more often than not the Essential list. So if we don’t meet the criteria our application won’t be considered and move through the system. If our skillset does match the Essential requirements we had better make sure it’s clearly stated on our CV.

If you do want to apply despite not well matching the essential requirements let the recruiter or hiring manager know you know you don’t and tell them why you should be considered anyway in a cover letter.

If we Imagine a time poor talent coordinator scanning dozens of CVs for the Essential requirements we can then design our application and CV accordingly. Make it easy on them. Always address and highlight the essential criteria.

To recap our steps to helping us decide the role matches us and we match the role are –

1. Research the employer, their values and their culture.
2. Decide whether the role description aligns with our expectations.
3. Match our experience and capabilities to each of the role responsibilities.
4. Match our skills and experience to each of the Essential requirements.

Finally, here’s some encouraging insight: In my experience in the recruitment and selection process over 50% of all applications have not taken these steps and are irrelevant and mismatched. They are not matching the essential criteria in most parts and are not passed onto to be considered for interview. 

If we take these steps and then decide to apply we can then feel confident that we stand a good chance of being longlisted for interview at the very least. 

To some, these steps may sound obvious but by taking time to list line by line how we align we can reveal how a role we initially read as the perfect job might not be the perfect match after all. Leaving us time and energy to find the one that is.