What Does A Job Vacancy Mean?

A job vacancy is posted by companies and recruitment companies who are looking for employees. They can be posted on the internet or in newspapers. They generally give a basic idea of what the company is looking for and what the position is worth.

A job vacancy will typically consist of five sections; the job title, job requirements for education and experience, the duties and the method of application.

The job title gives a quick idea as to what the job entails. It is also generally what your title will be if you manage to get the job. For example, when looking for a receptionist, the job title will be receptionist, not secretary or administrative person. A sales executive is not the same as an internal sales support person.

The requirements section tells you what the company is basing their first selection on. If you do not meet at least eighty percent of the requirements, you will be unlikely to be considered for the position. This section will give the details of what qualifications the company expects you to have, and how much experience they expect you to have acquired in the fields they indicate. It is a good idea to copy the text of this section so that you can indicate on the specification itself what areas of the requirements you meet.

The next section will give the details of the position itself. This will include things like duties, targets for sales, number of lines on the switchboard for receptionists, who you would be reporting to and general overview of what the daily tasks will be. Not all companies include a duties section. Should you wish to know what will be expected of the successful employee, these details can often be acquired by contacting the person who placed the advert telephonically. Emailing the questions is not as good a tactic as emails can be forgotten in the stew of applications that come in response to the advert.

The final section of the advert will be the method of application. Some adverts require that you email your CV and covering letter to a specific address. Others ask you to fax the same documents. Still others ask you to follow a link and apply on their company website. Yet another method of application is via sms, in which you sms your name and some other demographical details and the owner of the number contacts you to find out the information they require or to set up an interview.

The thing to be wary of is any position that requires you to pay for training or software. These are often scams set up to generate money from the unwary and often desperate applicants. These will also often use free email accounts and advertise as work from home administration positions. The latest trend is to say that income earnings go from R5000 per week up, all dependent on the effort you put in. These adverts are mostly found on free advertising sites and repeat themselves every few adverts. Do not be caught out by these job offers, you end up spending money and never earning it back.