Understanding job postings

You will find the description of the job offered. Often the word “duties” (mansioni) is used to define the activities that the person will have to carry out. You will also find the sentence: “The candidate will take care of …” and the list of all the tasks to be performed.

Many advertisements will also indicate the type of employee the employer is looking for. For example, you will find specified qualifications required, such as a diploma or degree, being able to speak other languages ​​or having work experience in a specific sector.
When you read the requirements you have to pay attention to the difference between:

Fundamental requirements
If you don’t have the required skills, don’t apply for the job. For example, if knowledge of English is required in a babysitter vacancy, it is useless to apply if you do not know English, even if you have a lot of experience in this type of job.

Some useful words to identify these requirements are for example: it is indispensable, it is required, necessary, essential, mandatory, etc (è indispensabile, è richiesto, necessario, essenziale, obbligatorio, etc).

Preferential requirements
These are characteristics that the employer looks for, but that are not fundamental. The reason why they are listed is because they will be useful. If you don’t meet any of these requirements, you probably won’t get the job. If you have at least one or two of these requirements, it’s worth submitting your application.

Some useful words to identify these requirements are for example: being able to, at least, minimum, is preferable, knowledge of, experience in, etc (essere in grado di, almeno, minimo, è preferibile, conoscenza di, esperienza in, etc).

In a job posting you will also find a brief description of the company, with the name and address.
However, when job postings are published by employment agencies (offices that find employees on behalf of companies) you will find the description of the company without indicating the name. You can try to ask the agency that published the posting for more information, but it is usually not shown in the first phase of the selection.

You will find brief information on the hours (part-time or full-time), the duration of the job and any other information on the type of employment contract. In some job postings, salary or hourly wages may be indicated.

Usually at the end of the posting you will find instructions on how to send your application. Follow the directions very carefully and don’t forget to send all the required documents. Submit your CV and/or the required documents by the deadline.