Ask these 7 key questions BEFORE you apply for your next job!

If you want to maximise your chances to secure your next role, then the first step is to fully understand the role and to make contact and speak with the advertiser.

Now before you shoot me down, I do know this is not always possible.

Recruiters, while they leave contact numbers on the advertisement, can often be hard to pin down. You may also find that the person listed as contact is a simply a centralized person, and far removed from having any involvement in hiring for the actual role itself.

But there are three very good reasons for having a conversation.

• Many job advertisements are poorly written or vague. With information on paper it is also difficult to understand which skills are priority skills that the employer requires.
• You need to show the employer that you are interested in the role. Contact becomes your first marketing point to help the employer remember you in interview.
• Your questions will help you understand what you will be doing every day, week and month. You can then decide whether this role is the right role for you, plus present appropriate examples of your strengths, skills and achievements.

It may seem a bit strange to be asking questions about a role when the information is listed on the advertisement. The recruiter may think their information is abundantly clear, and wonder why you’re calling, I have a technique I employ for getting recruiters to open up and talk in more detail.

It goes like this.

You need to let the recruiter know first up that you have read the advertisement, that you are very interested in the role, and have a few additional questions. That way they don’t push you back to the advert.

Then you can ask the following questions.

1. Could they tell you the priority accountabilities/ or tasks?

You ask this question as many advertisers have a fetish for listing every duty so it’s hard to separate out the “must haves” from the “nice to haves” or the “I have space to fill in this job description and need to satisfy HR haves.”

2. What do they see as the specific challenges of the role?

Often advertisements do not provide context so this will help you understand the environment in which you will operate. You can pick up a lot of additional information by listening to the tone of someone’s voice. When something is a real issue, it’s likely you’ll hear it in their voice.

3. Could they paint you a picture of a typical day/week?

I like this question as it gives you a completely different insight into what you’ll be doing in the role and how tasks listed as discrete actions on the advertisement actually link together. If you can actually visualise what you’ll be doing in the role, you’ll gain a stronger understanding of what it’s all about. (This, by the way, is why people take you on a tour of the environment you’ll be working in after an interview.)

4. What do they see as the must haves for this role, and why?

See point 1.

5. How has the role come about?

This can give you background into the challenges you’ll face in the role. A newly created role for example, can have its own specific challenges. It may mean that you are helping to define the role when you commence, and/or that you have to build the relationships around you to gain the trust of your colleagues who may not understand the purpose of your role.

The answer you receive to this question can help you understand whether someone is acting in the role – which is actually a critical piece of information if you are applying for a government role.

I do get people to ask the question if someone’s acting in the role if they are applying for government jobs, because sometimes people can be acting in a role for years and the recruitment process is more of a rubber stamp formalization of that appointment.

6. What is their preferred format for applications in terms of length of resume/selection criteria/cover letter – what would they like to see highlighted?

7. When do they plan on reviewing the applications?

This gives you an indication of the time frame in which to expect a response. Government processes, for example, can often take weeks as usually there is more than one person reviewing applications and they need to review them all.

Private sector processes have more flexibility. Recruiters there do not have to look at every application. They are generally faster off the mark than government.

One last point to cover is for you to clarify anything that is ambiguous to you from reading the advertisement.

There’s one thing to remember about putting a call through.

If you struggle with your accent, or think a call may harm your chances as someone may rule you out based on how you communicate, then I would suggest to practice what you want to ask before you call.

If you have an accent, practice slowing down and find a friend who can give you some honest feedback on how you sound.

So that’s all of my tips.

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Put yourself ahead of the pack and learn how to approach employers directly for a job.

If you are looking for away to avoid all this pain and save yourself the bother of going through recruiters I suggest you sign up to find out about my new Straight to Shortlist Challenge by clicking on the link below.