Using job adverts

As discussed in financial value of a resume article, job titles are essential in a resume. Think and act as people in the job you are aspiring for do, rather than the job you have now.

The key is to monitor the jobs advertised in the industry over a period of 1 or 2 months and note the pay scale that is associated with each job description. This is vital information to learn if you want to advance in your career.

This way, you can also find better job titles for the jobs you have or roles you previously occupied. An employer will give your resume more consideration if a job title you used is associated with more responsibility or is closer to the job you are applying for. This will result directly in your interviewer considering you for a position with more responsibility, which will again result in an increase in your salary.

These job descriptions are also a key to writing your career objective. You should be able to create a lot of keywords and ideas that can be used when defining your career objective.

These job adverts can also provide you with a lot of key skills that you can include in your resume, especially skills you already have but didn't know the technical name for.

Warning

Be aware though that this can work both ways, just as you may be tinkering with your job title to ‘big yourself up’ employers will be ‘bigging up’ the job title in the Ads to make the job sound more appealing. For example a vacancy for a cleaner may be advertised as ‘Environment and hygiene technician’. Ok, perhaps an exaggeration, but you get the point. Every other job these days, the post is for a Consultant this, Manager of that.

Also how they describe themselves may not be as you expect either. For example a’ fast growing dynamic new business’ could in fact be a one man business operating from the back bedroom.

The Adverts do not lie they just exaggerate, as they want you to be as interested in working for them as you are keen to apply. So do your research before you apply for the job. Look up the company details on the web.

Watch out for Adverts, which say things like: ‘pay is subject to qualifications/experience’ as this usually means they'll pay you as little as they think you’ll accept when they hire you.