Job vacancy analysis
Source: https://careerzone.universiteitleiden.nl/en/develop-your-skills/application-skills/application-letter/job-vacancy-analysis Parent: https://careerzone.universiteitleiden.nl/ontwikkel-je-skills/sollicitatie-skills/sollicitatiebrief/vacature-analyse
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Job vacancy analysis
Before you start writing your cover letter, read the vacancy carefully.
What qualities is the employer looking for in a new employee? What areas of interest are crucial for the position? What tasks will you be performing?
A vacancy provides a wealth of information. However, this information isn’t always clear and isn’t ‘set in stone’. In other words, you don’t necessarily have to meet all the requirements to perform the job description well.
To determine what’s important in terms of job requirements, for example, it’s advisable to conduct a vacancy analysis before submitting your application. If you thoroughly review a vacancy, you’ll discover that you have questions and/or that you don’t meet all the requirements but do bring other qualities to the table.
It is therefore not advisable to draft a letter blindly and guess what is meant, but to gather as much information as possible in advance and write your motivation letter based on this.
The vacancy contains information about the company and the job requirements, among other things. Each topic includes information about what you can find there and sample questions to ask yourself during your vacancy analysis.
Information in vacancy
1. Organisation
- Mission
- Goals
- Organisational structure
- Products and services
- Work area: local, regional, national, international
- Size of the organisation
Ask yourself: what appeals to you about the organisation in question and why? For example, does their mission align with what you stand for? This could be a starting point for your cover letter.
2. Position
- Tasks
- Responsibilities
- Individual or team position
- Location (fixed or travelling)
- Possible career opportunities
Is it clear to you what you’ll be doing? For example, if it says you’ll be ‘conducting research’, do you know what kind of research? Or if it says you’ll be a ‘team player collaborating with colleagues on excellent reports’, do you know what role is in store for you?
3. Requirements
- Level of education
- Work experience
- Competencies / personal qualities
Is internship experience sufficient for ‘2 years of relevant work experience’? Or if you encounter 15 different competencies, what would be the most important? It’s also possible that you don’t meet one of the job requirements 100%, but only partially.
4. Job evaluation
- Salary scale and any applicable collective labour agreement (see also employment conditions
- Secondary employment conditions
Is a salary scale listed? And how is your travel expenses reimbursed? Or not? And if you would like to work from home occasionally, is that possible?
'Calling = applying'
In the Netherlands, you often see the name of a recruiter or contact person and their contact details at the bottom of a vacancy. If you have any questions, please contact the contact person listed in the vacancy.
- Ask questions about anything unclear to you,
- But also if it’s a higher professional education (HBO) position and you have a university (WO) background. Are you even eligible in that case? Is the position sufficiently challenging?
- What caused the vacancy to arise?
- If you’re not a good fit, are there other vacancies?
It’s also always helpful to ask:
- When you can expect a response to your application.
- Whether any interviews are scheduled.
- What the application process generally looks like.
- Whether the email address and/or application method on the website are correct.
If you then agree to send your application by a specific date and/or time, stick to it. Ask if you can mention the name of the person you spoke to in your cover letter. This will also increase the chance that they will remember your name.
A vacancy analysis requires more work before you send your application. It ultimately results in a better cover letter, which takes less time to write. Plus, it's a good preparation in case you get an interview.
In the worst case, it will save you time and disappointment if applying for that one position turns out to be a no-go.
Note: If a vacancy doesn't include a name or contact information, see if you know someone within the organisation who can provide information.
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