"The jargon is like a foreign language," acknowledges David Royston-Lee, chief executive of the
Communication, Advertising and Marketing Foundation (CAM Foundation), "and so many ads
include words like 'dynamic' which make little sense because they're so over-used."
But the most talented job-seekers actually work through the jargon of job ads to help them find a
fast-track career, according to pioneering research due to be published this autumn.
Organisational energy consultants Stanton Marris interviewed 150 talented employees for their
study "Magnetic Attraction: the Potential of Talent and the Corporate Brand". They discovered
how the most ambitious applicants make job ads work for them.
"We found that talented people in particular are lining up a career, not just a particular job," says
partner Virginia Merritt, who points out that the most talented people seek more than financial
rewards. Instead, they want to join an organisation which represents what they believe in, and
which helps them realise their potential.
Organisations should make more use of their corporate brand "personality" to attract talented
people, she believes. So for anyone who skims through a job ad and skips the bit about the
company's success and races through the jargon, the message is to slow down and think what
really lies behind that job ad.
"You see a lot of ads asking for someone to be flexible," says Angela Baron, adviser at
the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. "You know they mean you have to be
prepared to work in any part of the UK and rush off to Scotland at a moment's notice.
"Or ads might describe a job as a stimulating position for the right person, and you know you'll be
working 60 hours a week. But to be realistic, ads reflect what is needed in a workplace where you
need to be more of a manager and take more responsibility."
So what is that job ad really telling you? Your secret weapon is the phone number on the bottom
of the ad, says Royston-Lee. Use it: ring for a chat, and see if you can find out more. Visit the
company's website to check if this and other jobs are advertised. And decode the jargon, in our
glossary of favourite job ad terms.
What employers want from you:
- Self-starter
You need to show initiative: to put it bluntly there will be little support. "You need to ask what that means in practice," says Claire Forbes, Chartered Institute of Marketing spokesperson, "and ask what kind of support there will be." Signs are that you will be thrown in at the deep end.
- Needs a proven track record
There's no point in saying you were involved in a project, says Forbes. Go in fully armed with facts and figures to show that you moved the project on from X to Y, with statistics to back you up.
- Needs a sense of humour
This could be a good sign, indicating a company which wants to create a happy atmosphere. But Royston-Lee is more cynical: "They're trying to tell you that you'll need a sense of humour or you'll go mad. You'll be under a lot of pressure, and will need to cope with stress."
- Someone to play a key role
"I would ask why," says Forbes, "because that could mean anything from someone to do the filing and bring them all a cup of coffee in the morning, to someone to turn around an area that is under-performing."
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