What do you look at first while applying for jobs on job portals or company websites or social media?
Most job seekers say that they look at the salary first.
Salary is an important deciding factor in your decision whether to apply or not apply for a job, but it shouldn’t be the only factor; many candidates make this mistake and apply for jobs which offer higher salaries irrespective of the jobs’ relevance to their experiences and qualifications.
You might also base your decision on the brand value of the company, the location of the company, other benefits offered, etc., but what about the Job Description?
Yes, many of us don’t care to read or understand the Job Descriptions.
Let’s first define what a Job Description is:
A Job Description is a list of the roles and responsibilities you are expected to perform in that particular job if you are selected.
It can also be likened to the Instructions Manual that you get when you buy a mobile phone or a laptop.
If you don’t read through it first, then you might end up in a lot of trouble.
Let’s look at a simple example of a Job Description for a Car Driver’s job.
You might wonder what special roles could a driver do other than driving his car, but look at the one below which I just randomly took from Naukri:
Fetching and welcoming clients at the beginning of the trip.
Loading and unloading clients’ possessions, as required.
Travelling via the most efficient routes, unless otherwise directed.
Complying with road regulations at all times.
Ensuring that clients’ identities and conversations remain confidential.
Apprising clients of local services that may be of use to them.
Ensuring that the car remains clean and well maintained, Moreover, keep a check about the date of car services.
If you are a driver who is not comfortable loading and unloading clients’ possessions and if you had applied to this job without reading this job description; and when they finally tell you this during the interview, you will not turn back for the next round of interviews and might not even pick up their calls.
Or after joining the company if you were asked to load and unload the clients’ possessions, then it might shock you and might even put you in a lot of distress and ultimately result in your job dissatisfaction and leaving your job.
So, it’s very important to read the Job Description thoroughly.
Some job descriptions are long and wordy and some are small and incomprehensive.
However, big or small they might be, as a candidate, it is your ultimate responsibility to read through the Job Description completely and ask any doubts that you might have to the Recruiter who has posted that job.
If you do this properly, then you and the companies for which you are applying can save a lot of time.
Apart from the Job Description, there is something else which companies or employers have in their job posts - It immediately follows the Job Description and is called Job Requirements or Job Specifications.
What is a Job Specification?
When you want to buy a mobile phone or a laptop, you have a list of specifications in your mind such as the size of the RAM/ROM, Battery capacity, Camera pixels, etc.
Similarly, a Job Specification or a Job Requirement is the list of requirements an employer expects from the candidates such as Communication Skills, Technical Skills, Salary range, Age range, Years of Experience, etc.
Any candidate who has most of the requirements listed under this heading stands a high chance of getting recruited.
So, don’t forget to read this section of the Job Posting as well thoroughly.
Job Description and Job Specification both are equally important and not to be missed out.
Read them, understand them and apply for jobs only if you match them.
Many Job Postings also list the Benefits also called the Perks which the company offers such as Paid Vacations, Medical Insurance, Incentives, etc. after the Job Specification section.
This is a beautiful replica of the company’s culture and how much they value their employees.
Don't miss out on this as well!
So, this is why you should read everything from the top to the bottom listed under the Job Posting.
Reading these 3 sections of a Job Post will only take a maximum of 2-3 minutes which will really be worth the pain of reading it.
Hope this blog has been informative and useful!
Please share this with your family and friends who might need it.
Happy Job Searching!
Stay tuned for more interesting articles!
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