Before you apply for a job, you probably first read a listing that includes overused keywords and vague mission statements like âWe are seeking a self-starter who can work well under pressure in a fast-paced environment.â
Those common job listing phrases can inadvertently reveal a lot about the companyâs priorities, its ideal job candidate, and who belongs or doesnât in the organizationâs culture. Hereâs how recruiters and job search coaches say you should decode them:
1. âFast-paced environmentâ
Job search strategist Melanie L. Denny said this can be code for a heavy workload. âIt typically means thereâs a lot of work to do and things are always busy, so be ready to work quickly because almost everything is time-sensitive,â she said. âYouâll have to learn fast and work fast and your job may be in jeopardy if you canât keep up.â
If this sounds like the worst job environment ever, think twice before applying.
2. âSelf-starterâ
A request for a self-starter could mean that youâll be given little training and have to come up with ideas on your own, Denny said. She said itâs a popular listing in startups since leaders are likely still working out the specifics of business operations and procedures.
âThis could be considered a red flag for someone who is relatively new to the field and still [needs] training. But itâs ideal for a leader who has similar experience under his/her belt and is ready to execute his ideas with little to no direction,â Denny said.
Job search coach Ashley Watkins said if a company asks you to be a self-starter, you need to go beyond just self-identifying as one in your job application. Back it up by sharing times you initiated a process or took the lead when your supervisor wasnât there, Watkins said.
3. âBe flexibleâ or âagileâ
Both flexibility and agility are subjective requirements and you may need to ask for clarity. âSometimes theyâll say they want you to be flexible, but itâs more about compromise than it is about being flexible,â Watkins said. âAnd when I say compromise, I mean youâre always on the losing end of that compromise, meaning that youâre going to do whatever they ask, because youâre flexible.â
One way to get at what their version of flexibility really means is to ask, âHow was the person that Iâm replacing expected to be flexible?â Watkins said.
Tejal Wagadia, a senior talent acquisition specialist at MST Solutions, said if a job listing wants an agile candidate, that means âyou need to be OK with dropping something mid-project, mid-assignment, whatever it is, and going to something else. It also means you canât be stubborn. They want somebody that will be like, âOK, letâs move on.ââ
4. âUnlimited paid time offâ
Unlimited vacation time is a popular policy pioneered by companies like Netflix. The thinking goes that since youâre a working adult who doesnât need to be micromanaged, you get to decide how much time off you take. But with the lack of clear structure, workers end up taking less time off.
âFrom an employeeâs perspective, you feel bad about taking vacation,â Wagadia said. âMost people thrive in knowing what they have, and how much they have, and how they can utilize it.â There could also be a cultural expectation that you donât take long vacations. An employee taking a month off at a time in their first year could be considered a red flag by managers, she noted.
Former recruiter and career coach Diana YK Chan said if you want to get a better understanding of what a companyâs vacation policy really means, talk to someone in the know and ask them, âTypically, how many days do people take time off and what percent of people are using that?â
5. âCompetitive salaryâ
When you see âcompetitive salaryâ in a job listing, this doesnât mean you canât negotiate your pay, Chan said. âI have a lot of clients and they look at the research and think, âOK this is the only band I could get in terms of range,âČ but if youâre considered at the higher range of salary, meaning you have more negotiation power, you should really stand strong on your value and ask for more,â she said.
To get clarity on what exactly they mean by a competitive salary, ask what the range is during the interview process, Chan said.
6. âWears many hatsâ/âAnd other duties as assignedâ
Denny said if you read âwears many hats,â you will likely be asked to do things that are outside of your job duties. That interpretation may be reinforced by the phrase âand other duties as assignedâ appearing elsewhere in the posting.
âThis could be considered a red flag for a candidate who appreciates the structure of a predetermined set of responsibilities and doesnât want to be pulled in many directions,â she said. âFor another candidate, they may enjoy switching up his/her daily tasks.â
Chan said if you find a job listing that expects you to take on multiple responsibilities and handle it all, ask a clarifying question in the interview process such as, ââHow much time, in terms of percentage, do you envision me doing this part of the work?ââ she said. âThat helps as a job seeker to see, âDo I actually want to spend that much time on that?ââ
7. âWorks well under pressureâ
âYou are going to be put under lots of projects and deadlines that will not be realistic, and management knows thatâs the case,â is what this phrase could mean, Wagadia said. âMost people will leave in one to two years; most people wonât thrive on that for long-term.â
To succeed in this environment, you need to accept imperfection, because âyou are going to need to produce mediocre-level stuff and be OK with it,â Wagadia said.
8. âBe passionateâ
Being passionate does not mean you have to be genuinely enthusiastic about the industry, but you do need to come to an interview prepared to showcase your expertise in the subject, Wagadia said. âEven if youâre not passionate, do enough research that show you have interest in them,â she said.
9. âBe a problem-solverâ
If you get this in a listing, you are likely to hear interview questions like âTell me about a time you had to pivot your strategy,â or any other question that asks you to share how you troubleshoot, Chan said.
Chan said if you see this kind of standard request, you should anticipate what are the challenging problems facing this role and be prepared to explain how you would actually tackle them.
10. âNinjas,â ârockstars,â âjedis,â âgurus,â âunicorns,â and other superstar titles
With these fancy titles, âthereâs a certain level of expertise and expectation that you will know what youâre doing, that you know how to do it. But often these expectations are unrealistic,â Wagadia said.
If these phrases make you less likely to apply, youâre not alone. Research has found that phrases like âninja,â which suggest an aggressive expert in their field, can be a major turnoff to female job seekers.
These vague superstar titles can also be an indication that the company does not know what they want. âMost jobs, if you canât define in easy-to-understand 5-7 sentences, you donât know what youâre looking for,â Wagadia said.
With these buzzwords, thereâs a difference between needing some clarity and being straight-up confused. âIf they are creating confusion before you even start working, imagine how much confusion you have the potential to face once you start the role,â Watkins said. âYou want to know what success looks like in that particular role.â