How to read a job posting in five minutes

Most job postings are longer than they need to be. Some of the text matters a lot. Some of it was copied from the last posting the company wrote. Here is a simple order for reading one in about five minutes, so you know what the job is and whether you fit it before you spend an hour on an application.

1. Start with what the job actually does

Skip the company introduction for now. Find the part that describes the work. It is usually called "What you'll do", "Responsibilities" or "The role".

Ask yourself one question: what will this person spend most of their week doing? Try to say it in one sentence. For example: "Builds and looks after the payment pages for an online shop" or "Manages a team of six support agents and handles the hardest cases."

If you can't write that sentence after reading the section, that tells you something too. A vague description often means the role isn't settled yet.

2. Check the level, not just the title

Titles mean different things at different companies. A "Senior" role at a 20-person startup can look like a mid-level role somewhere else, and the other way round.

Look for clues that show the real level:

• Years of experience asked for. Treat this as a rough guide, not a hard rule.
• Who you would report to, and whether you would manage anyone.
• The verbs used. "Own", "lead" and "set direction" point to a more senior role. "Support", "assist" and "learn" point to a more junior one.

If the title says one level and the work describes another, trust the work.

3. Sort the requirements into must-haves and nice-to-haves

This step saves the most time. Most postings mix real requirements with a wish list.

Signs that something is a must-have:

• It sits under "Requirements", "You must have" or "Minimum qualifications".
• It is a license, certification, degree or right to work that the job can't happen without.
• It appears more than once, for example in the summary and again in the list.
• It is tied directly to the main work you found in step 1.

Signs that something is a nice-to-have:

• It sits under "Preferred", "Bonus" or "Nice to have".
• It uses soft words such as "ideally", "familiarity with" or "exposure to".
• It is part of a long list of tools that nobody could reasonably know all of.

You don't need to meet every line. But if you are missing a true must-have, such as a required license or the language the job is done in, take that seriously.

4. Read the practical details

These are easy to skim past, and they often decide the matter:

• Location and working pattern: on-site, hybrid or remote, and which countries or time zones.
• Pay: whether a range is listed, and whether it covers what you need.
• Contract type: permanent, fixed-term, contract or part-time.
• Right to work: whether the employer can sponsor a visa, if you need one.
• Start date and travel.

A great role in the wrong country or at the wrong pay is still the wrong role for you.

5. Notice what is missing

What a posting leaves out can tell you as much as what it says. Look out for:

• No description of the day-to-day work, only a list of personal qualities.
• No pay range where you would normally expect one.
• A very long list of requirements for a junior title.
• Duties that seem to cover two or three different jobs.

None of these is an automatic reason to skip. They are questions to ask if you get to an interview, and a reason to keep your expectations realistic.

6. Compare it with your CV, line by line

Go back to your list of must-haves. For each one, find the place in your CV that shows it. Be honest and specific, and sort each one into a group:

• Shown: your CV says it clearly, with an example. "Led a team of four" covers "experience managing people".
• Partly shown: you have it, but your CV doesn't make it clear. Update your CV before you apply.
• Not shown: your CV doesn't mention it. Either you don't have it, or you need to add it.

The difference between "partly shown" and "not shown" matters. Plenty of good candidates are passed over because their CV leaves out something they can actually do.

7. Decide: Apply, Maybe or Skip

By now you have enough to make a call:

• Apply if the main work fits what you do and your CV shows the must-haves.
• Maybe if the fit is close but your CV needs work to show one or two must-haves, or a practical detail is unclear.
• Skip if a true must-have is missing, or the location, pay or level doesn't work for you.

Skipping isn't giving up. Every hour you don't spend on a poor fit is an hour you can put into an application with a real chance.

The five-minute checklist

1. What does this person do most of the week? Say it in one sentence.
2. What level is the work, whatever the title says?
3. Which requirements are true must-haves?
4. Do the location, pay and contract type work for me?
5. What is missing or unclear?
6. Where does my CV show each must-have?
7. Apply, Maybe or Skip?

Step 6 is the slow part when you do it by hand. JobJudge does that comparison beside the posting: it gives you a Job Match Score, a verdict of Apply, Maybe or Skip, and quotes from your CV for each part of the fit. It measures how well your CV fits the posting. It doesn't predict whether an employer will interview you.