Job search

Most people open a job board and scroll. Everything looks possible and nothing looks right, and after an hour they close the tab. The market is not the problem. The missing filter is. Without written criteria, every listing needs a fresh decision, and you tire quickly.

Three groups that do the filtering

Before you look at a single posting, sort your preferences into three groups.

• Must-haves: Conditions the role has to meet. Example: "A team of at least two other people in my function."
• Nice-to-haves: Things you want but could live without. Rank them, so you can compare two good options quickly.
• Dealbreakers: Hard stops. If a posting has one, skip it, however good the rest looks. Example: "Night shifts."

The ten-second test

A useful criterion can be checked against a posting in ten seconds. If it cannot, it is too vague.

Too vague: "Good culture."

Checkable: "Company publishes salary ranges."

List your transferable skills

Transferable skills: Abilities that work across roles and industries, such as organising, analysing data or coordinating schedules.

A camp counsellor who managed fifteen children, handled conflicts and planned daily activities has skills in scheduling, conflict resolution and leading groups. Those skills apply in an office, a startup or a nonprofit. Knowing your transferable skills widens the set of roles you can target.

One common mistake

Do not make every criterion a must-have. That rules out nearly every role and stalls the search before it begins. You also do not need a dream career mapped out. Workable criteria are enough to start. Write them, use them, and sharpen them as you learn what the market offers.

One rule to remember: If you cannot check a posting against a criterion in ten seconds, rewrite the criterion until you can.