Most people scan job adverts for key information such as:
- Job titles
- Salary bands
- Location
Executives, on the other hand, need to analyse job adverts like a strategist.
The competition for roles is fiercer than ever. Across the HR sector, for example, each open role receives an average of 129 applications.
When you can read between the lines of a job advert, you will find much more than responsibilities and desired attributes. With a strategic mindset, you will discover organisational priorities, leadership gaps, and cultural context – and as a result, be able to position yourself as the best fit for the role.
Here is our guide to effectively examine a job advert and use it to create a compelling CV.
Understand organisational requirements
The first step of analysing a job advert like a strategist is to look beyond the words and understand the wider company context.
Here are a few questions you can ask yourself:
What are the organisation’s core objectives?
Look for repeated language around growth, innovation, or expanding into new markets. This will indicate what the company wants to achieve beyond making a new hire.
Why is the role available?
Try to gain an understanding of why this role is open. What part will you play in leading change, driving growth, or improving efficiencies?
This can indicate the company’s future plans and where you could fit within them.
What are the organisation’s core values?
A well-written job advert will also give you some insight into company values and the initiatives they are prioritising, such as social impact, diversity and inclusion, or sustainability.
Do these values align with yours – and how can you use your experience to help them achieve their goals?
If this isn’t clear from the job description, you can do additional research on the company’s website. Try to glean some information on:
- Recent innovations;
- Current challenges;
- Award nominations or wins;
- Significant projects.
This additional context will help you tailor your application to wider organisational goals.
What language do they use?
Finally, look at how the job advert describes the company itself.
Formal language could indicate a traditional corporate environment, while a more conversational tone would sit in line with a more relaxed workplace culture.
You should also take a look at the words they use to describe the leadership style they are looking for, to understand how it aligns with your experience.
Determine cultural fit
One of the key benefits of analysing a job advert is that you only spend time applying for roles that are a great fit for your experience, ambitions, and values.
Research shows that 44% of job hunters spend five minutes or less reading job adverts. Taking the time to really study the information in a job description will help you understand whether you meet an organisation’s criteria – and if their job meets yours.
Alongside salary, ensure other listed benefits are in-line with your expectations. Vague information around pay structures, bonuses, and pension contributions can be clarified at interview, but the more information you have from the start, the better you will understand if this role is the right next step in your career.
You should also analyse the structure of the role, and whether it will work for your lifestyle and other commitments.
For example: A job advert might mention that the selected applicant will be required to travel internationally every month. Some people will see this as a great networking opportunity with international stakeholders, but others may struggle to align this expectation with personal commitments such as childcare.
Every job will expect flexibility and adaptability, but frequent mention of this – or of requirements to work beyond core hours – could indicate a schedule that may or may not fit with your other commitments.
Identify essential criteria
Now that you understand the wider goals of the company, you can start to study what is required from you as a candidate.
When looking at the Essential Criteria section of a job advert, a good rule of thumb is that the most critical skills or experience will always be listed first.
As you make note of the Essential Skills, mirror the language within the job advert. Utilising identical terms within your CV will help your CV pass ATS screenings and demonstrate you understand company requirements.
As you compile your CV, tie your experience and achievements directly with the most important skills, and use quantifiable metrics as much as possible.
For example, if a key requirement for a role is: “Implementing new sales strategies to meet revenue targets.”
The example you include on your CV could be something like:
“Optimised our customer journey and leveraged upselling opportunities to improve customer retention rates by 31%, which resulted in exceeding revenue targets for the 2024-25 financial year by 16%.”
You should always prioritise demonstrating how you fit non-negotiable criteria. However, many candidates exclusively focus on demonstrating how they meet the essential criteria of a role.
Our advice is to make sure you don’t forget about the Desirable Skills section, as it gives you an opportunity to really shine.
These additional skills almost act as a wishlist for the hiring company. If you possess some of them, ensure they are highlighted in your CV so you can stand out above the competition.
Above all, use the insights you have collected strategically.
If your analysis has determined that there are some additional opportunities within the organisation, and your experience can help maximise them, make that clear on your CV and your Cover Letter.
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Hopefully, this blog has made you think a little differently about how to approach job adverts – and job applications as a whole.
Remember: There is no such thing as a perfect match to a position. Don’t be dissuaded if you don’t meet every single point of criteria. By taking the time to analyse a job advert like a strategist, you will be able to create a tailored application that demonstrates you can play an integral role in an organisation’s future success.
If you are struggling with a particular part of a job application, or you aren’t sure how to meet role requirements within your CV, we would love to help.
Our professional team of writers will work with you to create a bespoke CV for the role you are most interested in and have extensive experience in strategically analysing job adverts that help our clients to shine.
You can browse our bundles here, or book a call with a member of our team to discuss a specific position.