Analyzing job advertisements is a crucial skill for anyone navigating the job ma

Analyzing job advertisements is a crucial skill for anyone navigating the job market, whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting your career journey. Each resume and cover letter you submit should be tailored to the specific opportunity to which you are applying, otherwise your career documents will come across as unintentional, perhaps lazy, or just not the right fit.
For this assignment, you will locate and analyze the advertisement for a job or internship you could apply to within the next 1-2 years. Job ads provide valuable insights into the specific requirements, duties, and expectations of a role. By analyzing these details, you can gain a clear understanding of what employers are looking for in potential candidates, and how your qualifications are a good fit. A thorough analysis of a job ad allows you to tailor your application materials—such as your resume, cover letter, and interview responses—to match the skills and qualifications the employer is seeking. This customization increases your chances of catching the employer’s attention and showcasing your suitability for the role.
Step 1: Use Handshake, Ohio Means Jobs, or some other appropriate job search resource (like LinkedIN or Indeed) to locate a job or internship opportunity you could realistically apply for within the next 1-3 years. Please seek out and use one one job advertisement that you believe that you can be competitive in achieving, given your current credentials or the credentials you will soon acquire. That is, you want to be realistic enough about about your credentials so that you are able to create effective career documents. If you choose something too ambitious, like a CEO position, it will be difficult to include credible experiences in your career documents. It will be easier if you select something feasible, such as an internship or a job that you intend to get once you have graduated.
Step 2: Analyze the job ad. Pay close attention to how they describe the working environment or corporate culture. Does that sound like a place where you would like to work and be successful?
Step 3: Compose a clearly formatted memo, addressed to me (your instructor), that meets the following criteria:
Introduction: Introduce the job advertisement you selected, including the company and job title.
Key Duties: Name and explain the key duties listed in the job ad. Discuss why each duty is important for the role and how they contribute to the overall success of the position. You may also include your overall impressions of the key duties–does it seem like they have a very specific person in mind for the role? Or does it seem like they have no idea what they really want? Does the description of duties require you to “read between the lines” to figure out what they are really looking for? Use concrete details from the ad to support your analysis.
Required Skills and Qualifications: Analyze the skills and qualifications demanded in the job advertisement. Justify why these skills and qualifications are necessary for fulfilling the responsibilities of the role. Are they asking for an “entry-level” application with 10 years of experience (which isn’t actually entry-level!) or do their expectations seem reasonable?
Alignment with the Position: Reflect on your own skills, qualifications, and career aspirations. Explain how your background aligns with the job requirements and how you can contribute effectively to the role. Consider also how your personal values might fit, or not, with the corporate culture of this proposed workplace. Does anything especially excite or puzzle you about this position?
Conclusion: Conclude by briefly summarizing the main takeaways from your analysis and alignment, and explain what strategies you would use in a Resume and Cover Letter to showcase your qualifications, ability to meet or exceed job duties, and overall fit for the position.
Step 3: Submit 1) your complete Memo and 2) a .PDF or .DOC copy of your chosen advertisement.
Assessment Criteria
Your Analysis is worth 25 points and will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
Thoroughness and accuracy of the analysis of key duties, skills, and qualifications.
Clarity and justification of the alignment between your skills/qualifications and the job requirements.
Integration of relevant examples to support your arguments.
Coherence, organization, and clarity of the assignment’s structure and content.
Reflection on your career goals and aspirations within the context of the position.
2-3 pages double spaced