Read the job description before you apply

Most people skim a job advert for the title and the location, then apply. Ten minutes spent reading it properly will tell you whether the role is worth your time, and will give you most of the material for your application.

Separate essential from desirable

Employers list two kinds of requirement, and they are not read the same way. Essential requirements are usually the filter: a qualification that is legally required, a licence, a specific system, a minimum number of years. Desirable requirements are the wish list, and almost nobody meets all of them.

Go through the advert and put each requirement into one of three groups: I have this, I have something close, I do not have this. If the essentials are mostly in the first two groups, apply. If you fail a genuine essential, such as a professional licence you do not hold, your application will not get past the first read.

“Something close” is worth more than people assume. If they ask for experience with one accounting package and you have used a comparable one for three years, say so plainly rather than leaving the reader to guess.

Check the practical terms before anything else

These decide whether the role is possible for you at all, so read them before you fall in love with the job title.

• Location and arrangement. On-site, hybrid or remote, and in which city or state. A hybrid role two hours away is an on-site role for most of the week.
• Employment type. Full-time, part-time, contract, temporary or internship. A six-month contract is a different decision from a permanent job.
• Experience level. Entry, mid, senior or management. Applying two levels above your record rarely works.
• The deadline. Applications close on the date given, and on Brix Job they also close when the listing period ends, whichever comes first.
• Pay, if it is shown. Many adverts do not show it. If it matters to you, ask early rather than after three interviews.

Read what the work actually is

Job titles are inconsistent between organisations. The duties tell you the truth. A “marketing officer” role that is ninety per cent cold calling is a sales job. An “analyst” role that is mostly updating spreadsheets by hand is a data entry job. Neither is a bad job, but you should know which one you are applying for.

Watch for wording that signals something unstated:

• “Must be able to work under pressure” repeated several times usually means the team is short-staffed.
• “Other duties as assigned” is normal, but if the list of duties spans three unrelated functions, the role is not defined yet.
• “Commission based” or “performance based” means your income depends on results. Ask what the guaranteed element is.
• No named organisation, no address and a generic email address is a reason to check carefully before sending personal documents.

Use the advert to write the application

Once you have read it properly, the application almost writes itself. Take the three or four requirements the employer clearly cares about most, usually the ones listed first, and make sure each one is answered somewhere near the top of your CV and in your cover note, using the employer’s own words where they are honestly yours.

If the advert asks for something specific, such as a portfolio link, a notice period or a covering note addressing a particular point, provide exactly that. Ignoring an explicit instruction is the easiest way for an employer to shorten the shortlist.

When not to apply

It is reasonable to skip a role when you fail a hard requirement, when the location or hours will not work for you, when the pay is below what you can accept and is fixed, or when the advert asks you to pay anything at all. Saying no to those frees you to put real effort into the ones that fit.

Ready to look? Search current vacancies by role, location, category and employment type, and read each description fully before you apply.