Find out what the job really is
Read job ads like data, sort real requirements from wish lists, and learn what a role feels like from someone who does it.
WHY RESEARCH
A job title is only a label
'Marketing specialist' can mean writing posts all day, or running ad budgets and spreadsheets. Titles aren't standard, and the same one can hide very different work. An hour of research before you apply saves you from months chasing a job you'd hate, and it tells you exactly what to put on your CV.
Nazanin wanted to be a 'product manager' because it sounded creative. After reading ads and talking to two people in the role, she found most days are meetings, priorities and saying no. She still wanted it, but now she knew why.
Read ads like data
- Collect 10 to 15 ads for one role
Use the job sites people use where you want to work: in Iran, sites like Jobinja and Jobvision; for work abroad, LinkedIn and local job boards. You're not applying yet, only collecting.
- Highlight tasks and requirements
Tasks are the verbs ('prepare weekly reports'). Requirements are skills, tools, experience and languages.
- Count how often each one appears
A tool in almost every ad is core. One that shows up in two ads is a bonus.
- Note the level and setting
Years of experience asked for, company types, cities, remote or not. This shows where a beginner can realistically get in.
Sina's tally: 15 ads for 'junior data analyst'
SQL 13 of 15
Excel 12 of 15
Power BI or Tableau 9 of 15
Python 6 of 15
Statistics degree 4 of 15
Experience asked: 0-2 years in 11 of 15Core: SQL, Excel, one dashboard tool. Bonus: Python. Most ads are open to beginners.This is Sina's own sample of ads, not a market survey. Your numbers will differ by city and year; that's why you count your own.
Check yourself
Using his tally, Sina has four free weeks before applying. He knows Excel well, and nothing else on the list. What should he learn first?
- SQL, then a dashboard tool
- Python, because it sounds the most advanced
- A statistics degree, since some ads ask for one
- Nothing: he should apply now and learn on the job
Show the answer
SQL, then a dashboard tool
Yes. SQL is in 13 of 15 ads and he doesn't have it, so it closes the biggest gap. A dashboard tool comes next. Python is a bonus for later.
Two kinds of requirement
Core
Shows up in most ads for the role, and the work can't be done without it. If you lack a core skill, it's worth closing that gap before, or while, you apply.
Wish list
Appears in a few ads, or at the end of a long list. Employers often describe an ideal person who doesn't exist. Missing a wish-list item rarely rules you out.
Check yourself
Leila meets 6 of the 8 requirements in an ad, including the 3 that appear in nearly every ad for that role. The two she's missing are a second language and a niche tool. She should wait until she has all 8 before applying.
Show the answer
False
False. She has every core requirement; the missing two look like wish-list items. Waiting could cost her months while other people apply. She should apply now and mention how quickly she has picked up tools before.
ASK A PERSON
The informational conversation
Ads tell you what employers ask for. Only people in the job can tell you what a normal day feels like. Ask someone in the role for 15 to 20 minutes, by message, call or coffee, to learn about their work. You are asking for information, not a job, which makes it much easier for people to say yes.
'Hi Reza, I'm a final-year accounting student looking at audit roles. Could I ask you three or four questions about your first year at the firm? Fifteen minutes on a call, whenever suits you.'
Questions worth asking
- What did you actually do yesterday, from morning to evening?
- What's the hardest part of the job, and what do new people struggle with?
- Which skills matter most in the first year?
- How did you get in, and would that path still work today?
Check yourself
Good question for a 15-minute chat, or a poor one?
- What surprised you most in your first year?
- Can you get me a job at your company?
- Which skills do new hires usually lack?
- What does your company do?
- What does a normal week look like for you?
- Exactly how much do you earn?
Show the answer
Good question: What surprised you most in your first year?, Which skills do new hires usually lack?, What does a normal week look like for you?
Poor question: Can you get me a job at your company?, What does your company do?, Exactly how much do you earn?
Check yourself
Match each source to what it's best for
Show the answer
- 10 to 15 job ads → Which skills come up again and again
- A chat with someone in the role → What the day really feels like
- Profiles of people in the role → The paths people took to get there
- Salary ranges in ads and surveys → A rough idea of the pay
Lesson recap
- Job titles aren't standard; research what the work actually is.
- Tally 10 to 15 ads to find the core skills and the realistic entry level.
- Core requirements matter; a missing wish-list item rarely rules you out.
- A short conversation with someone in the role tells you what ads can't.