How to decipher a job advert

The job search culture floods the market daily and applicants have a duty to be smart in preparing attractive resumes to impress the hiring panel. [iStockphoto]

Advertising is a marketing communication that includes a non-personal message to promote a service or product. Employers deploy this tactic to harvest skill resources for their organizations.

Company write-ups for job adverts never stops. The job search culture floods the market daily and applicants have a duty to be smart in preparing attractive resumes to impress the hiring panel.

In the 17th century, printed advertising was very common and was written by the merchant himself. La Gazette, the first French newspaper established by Theophraste Renaudot in 1631 contained personal ads for those seeking and offering employment, buying and selling goods and services and announcements of all kinds.  In the 18th century illustrations began to appear in advertisements and advertising agents, as they became known, started writing and illustrating the ads.

In the search a fresh job or greener pastures, one can consider the following:

Qualifications

In a competitive world, standards of operations in organisations have changed over time. Job post, terms like requirements or experience are used commonly.

Academic standards display the level of knowledge for a particular discipline. For instance, a bachelor’s degree holder has a better chance than one with a diploma.

Responsibilities

An employer looks for a candidate who has the ability to handle the assignment with minimum supervision. A common phrase used here is such as, create a weekly report.

About us

The history, achievements, mission and vision of the company gives you a vivid picture of what you may be interested in. The culture and values of the company have a great translation to the kind of job an applicant can peruse.

Income

Salary is a sensitive topic that employers carefully address. It’s close to impossible to see a price tag to a job vacancy like a net salary of Sh34,000. Many say confidential. So you’ll have to learn about the pay at the interview desk. Other terms like competitive salary are displayed in the salary description.

Experience level

Responsibilities and salaries vary by the level of experience. For example, a CEO has a higher level of experience than the Director of Operations though both are very prime titles.