Should I contact HRI saw a posting advertising a position at a company I really like. However, it's missing the job description. The title is followed by a brief description of what the company does and a rather short list of requirements. No explanation of what the job actually entails. I think I kind of know from the title what the job is, since I just interviewed with one of their competitors for a position with the same exact title. However, the same position can involve different things at different companies. I can't write a targeted cover letter not knowing exactly what they expect someone in this position to do. The ad says "NO CALLS PLEASE" in huge bold red letters, so I'm definitely not calling them. Do you think it would be acceptable under the circumstances to e-mail HR and ask if they could forward me the job description? If so, what would be a nice way to phrase it so that it doesn't sound like I'm accusing them of not writing a clear enough ad? Thanks! Since you do know what the job is, just not the specifics and they specifically said no calls, (emails are the same thing, they mean, don't call/contact us), then no, I wouldn't do that. When/if you get an interview, you can ask for specifics then.
Tess Hard to say. It would be tough to ask for the job description without pointing out that it's missing from the ad. They may not realize that it's missing, so if you just ask for the description, they may assume that your e-mail is some awkward attention grabbing stunt and ignore it. If you explain that the job description seems to be missing, you'll be jumping to conclusions--it may have been left out on purpose or because they didn't think it was necessary. With some jobs, if you need to be explained what the job is, you are not qualified. Consider this ad: Perfect candidate will have 3 years of administrative experience. Proficiency with MS Office Suite required. Must have excellent communication skills, as well as strong multi-tasking abilities and attention to detail. Please e-mail your resume/CL to HR@XYZCompany.com. Also, what if they don't respond? Or write back "Please see the ad. It lists everything you need to apply for this position"? Won't you feel awkward applying after that? I think you should write your cover letter based on what you know about the position from your interview. If there were specific skills the other company was looking for, you should emphasize them in your resume because chances are, this company is looking for the same set of skills. "...a rather short list of requirements." So, you have part of a job description with the list, and if you know in general what this "title" does, yes, you can target your resume to a certain extent. You want to keep your cover letter short, anyway, so you have enough to write a good CL. And, in your resume, highlight the skills they listed in the ad, and play up those that were required in the interview you had at the other company. Certainly jobs vary from firm to firm, but the same title in a similar company cannot be so wildly disparate that you can't come up with a great CL & a great resume in response.... If you know the job and you have the skills/requirements, this cannot be all that difficult a task for you. I think it would be in very poor form to approach the company for further information. They may assume that anyone with the requisite background will know what the job entails at its core. That is what you focus on, not the zillion other ancilliary duties that may be part of the job. | |
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