Help Wanted Ads: Reading Between the Lines

Reading the help wanted ads can be a great source of entertainment if you are not looking for a job. It can be frustrating if you are. Trying to decode the myriad of phrases that have been contrived to exclude and include certain people from the application process is a chore. One article cannot possibly cover all of the ways that human resource people use to hide their intent. Having said that, it is time to take a look at some of the more obvious ones.

The word strong almost always means several years of experience at a given job or in a field. It could mean ability like a strong typist, but most ads for typing or data entry type work will just go for words per minutes or keystrokes per minute. Most of the time it will be phrases like "strong management skills," "strong sales ability," or "strong computer skills." This lets the company get around saying that they want someone who is a little older.

When words like energetic are used, they imply young or healthy. At the very least, it means no physical problems. Energy implies youth. Those with gray hair need not apply. The reason behind this is normally a substandard wage. The company is looking for young people who will work cheap and long hours.

An ad looking for someone with a college degree will usually mean experience. Unless the job requires some type of certification that requires a certain level of education to qualify, a degree in a non-professional field is rarely required. Someone coming in the door without the degree who has ten years of experience will beat out the youngster with a degree almost every time.

One of my favorites the phrase "looking for the right type of individual." This is normally the right race or other physical attribute. Since they cannot say white, black, pretty, slim, or any of those of words, they say "right type." This is vague enough to leave the door open, but gives them room to say, "You just do not fit our needs."