The B.S. added to job descriptions is at an all-time high (according to us), which makes it annoyingly more difficult to determine if you’re truly qualified for a role, even if you’ve had that title before. Luckily, we’ve sifted through the fluff.

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🤓 Skim the Intro, Study the Requirements

Most companies tend to wax poetic throughout the intro about how they’re “family” and probably “disrupting the paradigm” — barf.

Skip this catchy marketing language and run straight to the requirements or the expectations section. This is the meaty, hefty bit! If 60% of these bullets match your background, apply. We actually rarely read the full job description before applying as long as the majority appears aligned with our CV’s.

📋 Qualifications

This is the bacon of the sandwich — nice to have, but ultimately non-essential. This varies more and more as big players like Google don’t even require a college degree. The technical requirements will tell you lots about the role — even more than the job title. Definitely come prepared with highly-technical, hard skills explicitly requested, but most certifications can be earned later, a.k.a, after the job interview or offer letter.

🕺 That Special Sauce

We love love love to see expectations laid out transparently in 30-, 60-, and 90-day increments. This is a team with their shit together that knows exactly what they need — which is not always guaranteed. Some companies hire in haste to fill a vacancy, so be wary of seemingly-confused hiring managers. Focus on the outlined expectations and qualifications, and take the rest with a grain of salt.

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