Reading a Job Description Properly

A job posting is usually assembled rather than written: a hiring manager's requirements, HR's template, a legal section, and language copied from the last similar role. That is why they contradict themselves and why they list twenty requirements for one job. For background on the limits of self-reported information, see this guide.

Reading one properly means working out which parts are real. For an independent public reference, consult Harvard career services resume guidance.

The three layers

Hard requirements. Work authorisation, a licence, a certification, a specific qualification. These are checked, frequently through screening questions, and they do disqualify. See screening questions.

Real preferences. What the hiring manager actually needs. Usually near the top of the responsibilities, usually repeated in different words, usually reflected in the job title.

Template filler. The long "requirements" list, the soft skills, the "nice to have" section. Frequently copied and rarely applied strictly.

Separating these is the whole skill, and it is what determines whether you apply, and how you write when you do.

How to tell which is which

Repetition. Something mentioned in the title, in the summary and in the responsibilities is real. Something appearing once in a bullet list of fourteen is probably not.

Position. The first two or three responsibilities are usually what the person will actually spend their time on.

Specificity. "Experience with Kubernetes in production at scale" was written by someone with a problem. "Strong communication skills" was not.

Whether it is testable. A requirement that appears as a screening question is real by definition.

And whether it is in the job title. Titles are negotiated internally and they reflect what the role is for.

The "requirements" list is not a checklist

The most consequential misreading, and the one that costs people applications.

Most postings list more than any candidate has. They describe an ideal, assembled from several people's wishes.

Meeting most of the real ones is usually enough. Meeting all of them frequently means you are over-qualified and will be bored.

The exception is the hard requirements, which are binary.

Do not talk yourself out of an application over the fourth bullet in the preferred list. See applying to a role you are not fully qualified for.

What to extract before applying

Fifteen minutes with a posting, and it sets up everything downstream.

The three things they actually need. Written down, in your words.

The hard requirements, and whether you meet each.

Their vocabulary. The five or six terms they use for the work. These go into your CV where they describe what you genuinely did. See tailoring a CV.

The seniority signals. Reports to whom, manages whom, decisions owned. These tell you the level more reliably than the title, which varies wildly between organisations.

What is missing. No mention of the team, the manager, or what the role exists to solve is itself information.

And your weakest point against it, so you can prepare an honest answer rather than hoping it does not come up.

Reading between the lines

"Fast-paced environment" frequently means under-resourced. Not always, and worth asking about.

"Wear many hats" means the role is not fully defined.

"Rockstar", "ninja", "guru" tell you about the culture, and what they tell you varies by how you feel about it.

A very wide salary band usually means the level is genuinely open, which is worth knowing before you anchor low. See salary.

No salary at all is a market convention in some places and a negotiating position in others.

A long list of technologies frequently means nobody has decided what the role is.

And a role reposted after some weeks usually means the first process did not produce a hire — which is an opportunity.

Questions the posting raises

Write these down as you read. They become your questions at interview, which is one of the few parts of the process that is fully in your control. See the questions to ask them.

Why does this role exist — growth, replacement, or a new function?

What does success look like in the first six months?

Who does it report to, and how large is the team?

What has made this role hard to fill?

When to walk away

Hard requirements you do not meet and cannot acquire.

A posting that has been open for many months with no changes, which may be a pipeline advert rather than a live vacancy.

Contradictions that suggest nobody owns the role. Senior title, junior responsibilities, and a salary band that spans two levels.

And a description of a job you do not want. Reading properly includes noticing that.

The short version

Postings are assembled, not written, which is why they contradict themselves.

Three layers: hard requirements, real preferences, and template filler. Repetition, position and specificity distinguish them.

The requirements list is not a checklist — most postings list more than anyone has, and only the hard requirements are binary.

Extract the three real needs, their vocabulary, and your weakest point before writing anything.

And write down the questions it raises, because those are your questions at interview.