Evaluating Job Postings – Finding good companies and good jobs

You can tell a lot about a job from a job posting. After all, the job posting is the first impression you will have about a prospective employer. Many employers post many different types of ads, and depending what kind of company you want to work for, this can be a criterion for narrowing down which ones are worth pursuing…or not.

There are several clues which you can infer which are not necessarily going to always ring true, but may be worth taking into consideration. First, I am going to discuss some overall things to pay attention to when reviewing the job posting and then I will get into some of the different techniques that employers and recruiters use when placing job ads.

1) Does the job posting list the company’s name? If a company name isn’t listed, there are 2 reasons for this. The first is because the listing was posted by a recruiter. But which type of recruiter?

1a) Unsolicited recruiters: Some recruiters represent companies who would rather hire someone else to sift through the mountains of resumés to bring the most qualified ones through the door. The company may wish to keep their name confidential in the job ads because they don’t want to be hit up directly, having outsourced this function to solicit inquiries.

1b) Hired Recruiters: The other type of recruiter could be one who has seen another job ad, copied it and reposted it and is hoping to get someone to sign on with them and then present to the employer through their original ad to try and get an easy commission.

When I have placed job listings and recruiters who I did not contact would try and hit me up with candidates, I would tell them to go pound sand. If my company has an HR department or I choose to vet candidates myself the last thing I want to do is bring a 3rd party into the mix.

As far as how to tell the difference between the 2 different types of recruiters, I would advocate following some of the other tips below when answering job ads (Although if you see a job posting you have seen elsewhere posted with a recruiter’s contact information, this may be a type 1a recruiter). Spoiler alert: Good recruiters are going to be more thorough.

1c) Employers who wish to stay confidential: That brings us to the 2nd reason an employer’s name might not be listed. The 2nd reason is that the company wants to deter people showing up unannounced looking to apply or getting deluged with phone calls from hungry job seekers who are trying to jump the line and be assertive.

BONUS TIP: Don’t jump the line and contact a company directly by phone unless you have at least sent in a resumé and cover letter first. If you choose to do this, don’t be pushy. I would recommend asking 2 questions: 1) Did you receive my resumé and cover letter and 2) How far along are you in the hiring process? That’s it!

2) How long has the job been posted? This is important. If the job has been out there for 60 days it may be filled already. Of course, it could be that the person who posted it is too overwhelmed with work or too lazy to take it down. It could also be that the company cannot fill the position because they do not want to pay enough or nobody wants to work for this company or in this position. Much like the house listed on Realtor.com for 6 months, there might be some unseen issues behind the wall or under the floorboards, so tread carefully.

3) How long is the job posting? Is the job posting a paragraph long, or does it list a description, responsibilities, qualifications, about the company and benefit / salary information? Let’s look at 2 actual examples that I pulled from a couple of job boards:

Which of these ads gives you more comfort? When I see the first ad, I see an employer that is diligent about who they hire and thorough making sure to communicate what the expectations and qualifications are as well as detailing the positives of the company in terms of benefits and salary. If an employer is willing to go the extra mile and take the time to invest in hiring the right people and is probably more professional.

The 2nd ad to me screams “looking for warm bodies.” Very little information is given in terms of the job itself. They are selling a work environment as working with “great people” but put little effort into recruiting and as a result will probably not attract top talent.

Companies that invest in hiring also invest in employee retention. Good stable companies try and attract top talent while companies with high turnover usually are not pleasant places do not invest in recruitment and retainment. They may see their employees as replaceable commodities rather than human beings.

A final word of warning: The job ad that is meticulous and overly detailed could be the ad placed by the ever-dreaded micro-manager. If the ad is too long and too detailed, tread carefully again!

After reading many job postings as you are inclined to do during a job search, you will begin to recognize some of these tendencies and will be able to write off some job postings as not for you.

4) Does the company have a brief paragraph telling you about the company? This is a nice added touch. If you are going to place a personal ad why would you not tell something about yourself? Companies that include this give me a nice warm fuzzy because they want me to know about them and they are happy to share a bit about themselves. Bonus points for a link to the company web site.

BONUS TIP #2: If the company lists its name, google it and check out their website. If they list their website in the ad, check it out and learn everything you can. If you get called for an interview you want to be as well versed on the company as possible as this will give you a leg up.

5) Does the job ad list the contact as a direct manager or someone in Human Resources? With a little sleuthing you might be able to figure this out on LinkedIn or on the company website. If it posted by an HR representative, then you can expect at least 2-3 interviews. The company may be larger. This is something you may want to keep in mind if you have a preference to work for a mom and pop, a mid-size company or a large corporation.

Scams – BEWARE!: Make unlimited $$$ work minimal hours! Tremendous business opportunity! Work from home, minimal hours and sales opportunity.

Pyramid schemes abound. There is no such thing as a quick buck and easy money. You cannot double your income working 10 hours a week. If it sounds too good to be true, it is! These ads are very vague in details and only offer empty promises. Worse some of them require you to “invest” in an income making opportunity. If anyone asks you to pay money to work, it is always going to be a scam.

In conclusion, thorough and informative ads are good. Vague and short ads that are non-specific in terms of job responsibilities and qualifications, are, well, not so much. Overly long and detailed ads might be the sign of a micromanager. Work with recruiters who are thorough and watch out for scams. Finally, to emphasize again, the more you read ads and apply for jobs, the more you will be able recognize the good employers from the bad ones.