How to Read a Job Posting, and What It Is Not Telling You
Job postings are usually written quickly by someone with other work to do, often by combining an old requisition with a wish list from the hiring manager. Read literally, they are misleading in both directions.
A practical overview of remote employee monitoring software can help connect this decision with the operational side of employment.
Here is how to read one for what it actually tells you.
Requirements are not a checklist
Most postings mix genuine requirements with preferences, and rarely label which is which.
Usually real: - Licences, certifications, and clearances - Work authorisation - Specific regulated qualifications - Location and on-site requirements - Language requirements for a role where the language is the work
Usually flexible: - Years of experience - Degree requirements outside regulated professions - Long lists of named tools - "Preferred" anything - Industry-specific experience, unless the industry is heavily regulated
The practical rule: if you meet most of the core requirements and can make an honest case for the rest, apply. Postings are wish lists, and the person who gets hired usually does not match every line.
The exception is a hard requirement you cannot meet. Applying for a role requiring a licence you do not hold wastes your time and theirs.
What the wording tells you
"Wear many hats," "fast-paced," "thrive in ambiguity." Real for a genuine early-stage company. In an established one, it often describes understaffing. Worth asking about directly.
"Reporting to the CEO" in a large company suggests either a genuinely senior role or an organisation without a clear structure.
A requirements list covering three different jobs. Either the role is unrealistic, or they are consolidating departures. Ask what the priority is for the first six months.
Heavy emphasis on culture and none on the work. Sometimes a strong culture. Sometimes the work is not interesting enough to lead with.
"Competitive salary" with no range. In states and cities with pay transparency requirements, this is either non-compliance or evasion. Elsewhere it usually means the range is below market or undecided.
Very short posting for a senior role. Often means they are relying on recruiters and the posting is a formality.
A detailed description of what success looks like at six months. A good sign. It means someone has thought about the role rather than copying a requisition.
What is usually missing
Note these as questions rather than reasons not to apply:
- Why the role is open — new, growth, or replacement
- Team size and structure
- Who you actually report to
- What the first six months involve
- The real work arrangement — "hybrid" without a number of days is not information
- Progression — what this role leads to
- Why the last person left
The absence of these is normal. The refusal to answer them when asked is the signal.
Titles are unreliable
The same title means different things at different companies. A "manager" may manage people or nothing. "Senior" may mean four years or fifteen. "Director" ranges from a team lead to an executive.
Read the responsibilities, not the title. And when you are searching, search several title variants — you will miss roles otherwise.
Reading the salary range
Where a range is given:
- Expect to land in the lower-to-middle part unless you exceed the requirements
- A very wide range usually spans multiple levels; ask which level they are hiring at
- Check whether the figure is base only, or includes bonus or commission
- For commission roles, ask about base, on-target earnings, and what people actually achieve
Where no range is given, ask at first contact rather than at offer stage.
Decide whether it is worth an hour
Before writing an application, check:
- Do I meet the hard requirements?
- Does the location and work arrangement genuinely work for me?
- Is the pay likely to be in my range?
- Was this posted recently?
- Can I write something specific about why I want this, or only something generic?
If question five produces nothing specific, either research more or skip it. A generic application to a role you do not particularly want is the least productive hour in a job search.
Use it in the interview
A posting is a document you can quote back.
- "The posting mentions X as a priority — can you tell me more about what that involves?"
- "It lists both A and B. Which matters more in the first six months?"
- "It says hybrid — how many days, and is that fixed?"
This does two things: gets you real information, and demonstrates that you read it. A surprising number of candidates have not.
Every role on our board carries a published range and a named employer. Browse open positions → For broader reference, consult O*NET Online.