Find a Job Description (30 minutes)

Goal: Find a job posting that reasonably matches the kind of job you want.

1. Pick one of your favourite job search engines. Google, Indeed, LinkedIn, it-jobs.
2. Search for available jobs that you are targeting. Possible search terms would be “entry-level”, “junior”, “front-end developer”, or “full stack developer”.
3. Scan through each job description and find ONE that gives you a good initial feeling. There is a balance to be struck. Be realistic - there’s no point considering jobs you might want but require commercial experience you don’t yet have. But also realise that the job description is probably written by a combination of a hiring manager and an HR department who may describe a long list of desired skills that may never exist in a single human being! So don’t rule out jobs that don’t perfectly fit.

Note: some research has found that more women tend to believe that the listed “job requirements” are really required than men do. Don’t make the mistake of ignoring what might be your perfect job just because the job description doesn’t perfectly match your skills.

You will further analyse this job description in the next exercise.

Analyse Job Description (45 minutes)

Goal: Consider how well the job matches your skills, how well the company interests you and whether or not there are any red flags.

Re-read the job description, but this time, make notes on the following elements. Be ready to bring your notes to the session on Saturday because you will review them with a partner. If you want, you can copy and use this template to make your notes.

1. Core and extra requirements. Most job descriptions indicate whether requirements are core (mandatory, must have) or extra (desired, preferred, nice to have). Make a list of which requirements you meet and which you don’t.

   Tip 1: make sure your CV is updated with any requirements that Job Descriptions are listing but that you may have forgotten to mention.

   Tip 2: if there are required skills that you don’t currently have, and you are interested in developing them, consider adding these to your Development Plan.

2. Company values. Job descriptions will usually give information about the company and what matters to them. It is important that you feel there is a good match to your values. Do you care whether it is a large enterprise or a startup? Do you like their work-from-home/office policy? Reading between the lines, can you tell anything about their culture and whether it suits you? You can also check the company’s LinkedIn posts, website or references on Glassdoor to identify their culture.

3. Keywords. Are there phrases, terms or ideas that are repeated in the job description? This likely means that these are more important to the hiring manager. Take note of these because you should certainly include them in your cover letter if you apply. A good way of identifying these is using a word cloud.

   Tip: make sure that you explicitly include these keywords in your Cover Letter. For example, if “collaboration in agile teams” is a repeated theme in the Job Description, your Cover Letter needs to include something about how good a fit this is for you.

4. Red flags. Certain phrases in job descriptions may provide warning signs for you. Can you spot any? Examples:

   • “Go the extra mile”, “put in long hours”, or “high-paced environment”. Does this mean you won’t be able to have a reasonable work/life balance?
   • “Must cope well with stress”. Does this mean that their projects are very stressful?
   • “Must be a self-starter”. Does this mean there will be nobody to help you?
   • The job is listed as “entry-level” but requires that you have years of experience. Does this mean they want to pay an “entry-level” salary for someone with much more experience?
   • Unreasonably long list of requirements that includes the skills of five people. Does this mean the hiring manager has unrealistic expectations?

5. Questions. What questions occur to you as you re-read the job description? Do you want them to clarify any of the red flags? Do you want to understand why they are posting this job? Do you want to understand more about their pain points? Which questions would you ask before an interview and which during?

6. Should you apply? Having done the above assessment, how likely are you to apply for this job?

Good interview questions (15 minutes)

Goal: Be prepared with some good messages and questions for your interview