Most industries are rife with jargon, and the recruitment industry is no exception. It only takes a few minutes scrolling through job ads to stumble across terms like “self-starter”, “team player” or “a dynamic environment”.
But what does it all mean?
If you find it all a little confusing and want to know how to interpret what a job ad is really saying, we can help. In this post, we share some valuable insights into the meaning behind some of the industry’s most clichéd terms and a few red flag terms to look out for in job ads.
Common terms you might see in a job ad
In our experience, we’ve found the following terms to be some of the most overused yet most ambiguous terms used again and again in job ads.
The other possibility is that the dealership is yet to agree on a salary for the role. While this could be because of a range of reasons, it’s usually because the employer wants to get as many applications as possible before deciding how much they want to offer the top candidate to seal the deal.
For example, if you applied for a role that was 4 days per week with a pro rata salary of $50k, you’ll be paid 80% of the regular $50k salary.
For example, a base salary might be $50k but OTE would be around the $100k mark; meaning that if you’re a good sales person and are meeting your targets, you have the potential to earn up to $100k.
“About you”
If you don’t tick too many boxes on this list, you might not be a good fit for the position.
In some cases, this could also be an indicator that the dealership has experienced high turnover in the role because of an underlying cultural issue.
Some employers will even intentionally include an error in the job ad, before asking candidates to identify it as a test if they genuinely have attention to detail.
The dealership is looking for someone that knows what needs to be done and just does it. They don’t require supervision or micro-management and are able to self-manage their time and workload. They don’t need a lot of instruction or to have their hand held so to speak—they’re almost the opposite of a team player.
They don’t want to have to provide extensive training, but rather want someone that can hit the ground running from day one. For example, an agricultural machinery business may only consider candidates who have built a transferable skill set working in a similar environment like a farm equipment dealership.
It’s likely you’ll be expected to contribute a lot of ideas and have the initiative to follow them up, while being agile enough to adapt to an ever-evolving environment. It can also indicate that senior managers frequently chop and change their mind, meaning you’ll always need to be on your toes.
Red flags you need to look out for
There’s a fine line between banter and bullying, and if you’re not someone that enjoys a bit of tongue-in-cheek back-and-forth, it’s probably not going to be a good fit for you.
- they don’t want to alert an employee they may be looking to get rid of that they’re trying to fill the role, or
- the job may not actually exist and they’re merely trying to build a database of potential candidates for similar roles (something a lot of recruitment companies do).
As a recruitment company, we never list the names of the dealerships we’re hiring for, but you still know who you’re providing your details to. If you find a private advertiser that won’t reveal the name of their company, be careful before applying as you don’t know who you’re handing your private information to.
If you’re the type of person that just wants to clock off at the end of the day and head home, it’s probably not going to be for you as it’s likely there will be a lot of unspoken expectations to get involved in social gatherings outside the workplace.
It’s likely the dealership could be disorganised with very few systems in place or processes which are ineffective, deeming the role fast-paced because “we haven’t really figured anything out yet, so you’re just going to have to roll with it”—so good luck to you!
On the other hand, it can also be used by dealerships looking for someone that’s passionate enough to do the job for a little less money or for longer hours than would be expected elsewhere. It may mean they want you to put work responsibilities ahead of personal responsibilities, so it’s something to consider depending on the role.
Should employers use jargon in job ads?
While there are multiple reasons why jargon isn’t effective in job ads (including the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence scanning published content), the main reason to avoid it is because candidates just want to see plain English.
