The Devil's in the Details

Many years ago, while looking for a summer job, I answered a newspaper ad that promised "marketing experience." At the time, I had no idea what marketing entailed, but I figured it would be easier than waiting tables or working in a warehouse. I called the number and, after a brief telephone interview, arranged to come in for a training session.

The first thing that should have tipped me off that things weren't all rosy, was the location. The company's office was located in a dilapidated industrial park, sandwiched between a tow truck company and a textile factory. The second thing that should have tipped me off was the training session. There wasn't one.

After a filling out a form, I was shuffled into a van with 10 others and driven to a residential area in a nearby town. We were given a packet of coupons for local restaurants and asked to sell them. This required knocking on people's doors. I lasted about 15 minutes.

Obviously it wasn't the "marketing experience" I had envisioned.

Most of us approach job advertisements the same way that we read the newspaper – we look for the headlines and skim through the rest. But my experience – particularly the very long, disappointed commute home afterward – imparted a valuable lesson: Never, ever, believe what you read in a job advertisement! Want to know what a job actually entails? Pick up the phone and start asking questions. And even then, prepare yourself for a few surprises.

I might have saved myself from the whole bad experience (and the bus fare home), had I just taken the time to ask my telephone interviewer what the job entailed. But I didn't, because I had dreamy visions of a summer spent writing marketing materials in an air-conditioned office downtown.

Many recruiters (well, the honest ones – those who aren't, like my brief employers, essentially kidnappers) will tell you that applicants usually fail because of unrealistic expectations, or because they misunderstand the requirements of the job for which they're applying. Applicants often overestimate their own qualifications, and/or lack the basic educational qualifications for a job. But the opposite can be true, too, when overqualified applicants apply for a job. Whatever their individual circumstance, these job seekers didn't take the time to consider whether the job they're applying for fits with their own educational and professional background.

There's really no excuse for not getting the details about a job before you apply for it. Recruiters expect to be called, because it gives them an opportunity to prescreen applicants and thereby save any time that might be spent going through a large pile of résumés. In the rare case that an ad says, "no calls," get the details when they call you for an interview – if it doesn't sound right, withdraw your application.

In the end, keep in mind that a job description in an advertisement (whether in print or online) will never give you a complete idea of what a particular employer wants. Figuring that out requires talking to someone. Also, once you have a recruiter on the line, don't let him or her get away with generalities – ask for specifics about the job. It'll save you a lot of disappointment and, sometimes, a bus fare.

Discuss This Article

Have something you'd like to say? Tell us what you think! Read and post comments for this article.

Find a Job

Choose your career:

MedHunters is the world's biggest healthcare job board. Our job directory has 17,657 jobs with 2,479 hospitals and other direct employers.

We want you to find your next job on MedHunters. Need Help? Call us at 1-888-884-8242, email us at info@medhunters.com or sign up now.