Look very carefully at each advert that is of interest to you. Read it through several times until you get the feel and an understanding of what’s being described. A typical job advertisement contains: A statement about the organization and how it perceives itself in the market. A statement about the job, in terms of what is involved and what a person doing it already (whether or not the position yet exists) would be doing daily. A list of the selection criteria for any prospective applicant. Details on how to apply for the job.
When you get a feel for what the job is about and what's expected of an applicant, set about reading "between the lines", to uncover what's not openly stated. In doing so, try to deduce if there is one particular crucial need or if there is anything else you could infer from the words in the advertisement. It’s also useful to read the advertisement critically and ask “have they left anything out? Anything not covered when you feel that it should have been could affect your suitability. It's a good idea to prepare specific questions about the things you either don't understand or don't see clarified in the job advertisement. Phone the contact of the company or agency and ask these questions. The answers will form part of your assessment of the advertisement and your own suitability. When phoning, take care not to "get interviewed" as part of the call. Make it clear that you're seeking more information and even make an excuse to get off the phone and call back later if it seems that you're already getting interviewed (this can happen with smaller organizations sensing your keenness). Also consider future needs and drivers of this job. What else will the company potentially need from this role down the track? Consider what skills and experience you have that would be ideal for this position but that are not mentioned by the job. You'll need to "sell" these to the employer who may not be aware of the relevance but don't dismiss them for this reason.
Once you've worked out what the job is all about, take a highlighter pen and mark every clause or phrase where it states what the actual requirements are.
Read the advert again carefully to see if these needs are essential or merely desirable. This is known as a "filter"; it's a way to eliminate applicants so that those interviewing don't have to expend additional time interviewing people lacking the relevant skills and qualifications. When you analyze the advert some phrases will stand out. These all shout essential at you, so look for similar phrases that you can match yourself against. Examples of what to look for include: “it is essential that you…" (a bit of a giveaway), or “you must have…", or “you will have…" Other advertisements are not so firm. In this case, the advertisement is saying "desirable" but not essential. Such advertisements may say: “you should have…", or “some knowledge of…", or “ideally…". You should be able to meet more than 60 percent of the essential requirements which form the backbone of the job if you are to be seriously considered. It is optimal to be able to meet all of the essential requirements but there is some leeway for lateral skills and experience. The desirables are nice-to-haves and the more of these you meet the better, but they are not the main issue. However, you can cover these in the letter of application (cover letter) to try to increase your chances of scoring an interview.
Look for the crucial need (if there is one). If you don’t have it, then don’t proceed. This one is the killer and will knock you straight out. If you do have it… make sure it’s the first thing you mention in your response. That says “this candidate understands what we need".
For your own sake in terms of future fulfillment in the job, consider what outcomes you'd be expected to achieve in this job and whether you feel capable of this. Also look to what opportunities and possibilities are in the job and whether you have the skills and personal qualities needed to make the most of these opportunities. Finally, but importantly, what challenges or barriers do you see as part of this job and do you think they're surmountable or likely to trip you up? Being honest now can save a whole lot of pain later; you might see the potential difficulties but rationalize that on-the-job training will overcome it; on the other hand, you might feel that no amount of training will change your inability to handle pressure, deadlines or multi-tasking, etc.
When you have done all this analysis and you still see a good match, go ahead and draft your response letter. You should try to follow the style of writing shown in the advertisement by using similar phrases and words. However, don’t just regurgitate their advert back to them; they want to know that you've really digested the job and you're able to phrase your suitability to it in your own words.
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