Autism and Neurodiversity Factsheet
09/04/2025A job advert is often the first impression that you will get of the organisation.
There are some key areas that you need to know before you apply for a role, that you can usually find in the job advert, including –
• What the company is looking for in terms of the role responsibilities
• What qualifications and experience are required (what is essential or desirable)
• The job details – pay, location, benefits etc
• Who you will report to
• The closing date (and interview date if known)
• How to apply
• Contact details for informal enquiries (if applicable)
• Company details – overview of what the company does, who the key customers are etc
When you are searching for roles, it is important that you can find potential vacancies quickly and easily. Very often, you search for roles by looking for a particular job title. However, if you are not finding roles suiting your search, you may need to retype using different formats – ie an HR Director may also be listed as Head of HR, Head of People, HR Lead. It can be a good idea to research what various companies refer to your role as, and use this as part of your job search.
Jobs will usually detail essential and desirable experience. The essential skills are the ones which the company need you to evidence in order to meet the requirements of the role. The desirable skills are the ones which although the company would like you to have, it isn’t necessary to evidence as they can be developed or taught on the job.
One of the key requirements you will want to know is salary. You may see that some companies choose not to list salary on job adverts, instead listing “competitive salary” or “salary to be discussed at interview”. Although there may be benefits of this in terms of being able to negotiate salary, and current employees not seeing the salary advertised, this can sometimes put you off as a potential applicant, who wants to know the pay before they apply for jobs.
There are several places that you can search for jobs, including LinkedIn, company websites, social media pages, online job platforms, and recruitment consultants.
Remember, the job description and advert are a “wish list” of what the company are looking for. However, if you meet a lot of the requirements then it is always a good idea to make an informal enquiry to the company, or apply and highlight what you can bring to the role and how you do meet the requirements. At interview, there will be opportunities to discuss any development areas.
Tailor your CV and application for every application, highlighting how you meet the criteria within the advert or job description.
Good luck with your job search, and please do not hesitate to contact me (tracey@cvprime.co.uk) if you require any support with CV writing, job searching, or interview skills.