The Recruiter’s Rosetta Stone: Decoding Job Descriptions

Rachel Huss
3 days ago
3 min read

On July 15, 1799, Captain Pierre-François Bouchard uncovered a key to solving an ancient mystery: a stone inscribed with the same message written in three languages: Greek, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and Egyptian demotic. Because scholars could already read ancient Greek, this discovery eventually made it possible to translate the once-mysterious hieroglyphics.

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs carved in stone, featuring animals, people, and symbols within rectangular frames. Beige tones dominate. — Image courtesy of Media from Wix.

When you understand context, you understand the world around you.

Silhouetted group observes ancient hieroglyphics. A guide points at the illuminated carvings on a textured sandstone wall. — Image courtesy of Media from Wix.

For job seekers, every job listing can feel like a modern-day hieroglyphic. You dissect each word, searching for hidden meaning. The language blurs on the screen, replaced by a familiar dread: Why should I even apply for this role when my experience feels lost in translation?

Gif courtesy of Wix.

As a recruiter, I see this misconception constantly. When I speak with candidates, they’re often mystified by how they could possibly be a good fit for a role I’m hiring for. Nearly everyone asks the same question: “Why me?”While working with a recruiter can help expedite the hiring process, most job seekers apply to roles independently.

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And regardless of how you find a job, one skill matters more than any referral or résumé tweak: knowing how to interpret what a job description is actually asking for. Because a job description isn’t a literal checklist. It’s a translation.Here’s how to decode it.

Man holding antique glasses with red and blue lenses, wearing multiple rings, in an indoor setting with blurred background. — Image courtesy of Getty.

The Rosetta Stone: The Key To Translate Job Descriptions

Before I became a recruiter at AnswerQuest Technologies, I couldn’t decipher a job description at all. But Martin Schwartz, the CEO of AnswerQuest, taught me three key tips that act as your Rosetta Stone for translating job descriptions.

Hands holding diverse resumes emerge from a laptop screen against a yellow background, suggesting online job applications. — Illustration courtesy of Shutterstock.

Tip 1: Weeding Out

A job description is supposed to be long and convoluted. Its purpose is not just to list requirements and responsibilities. It is designed to ensure that only people who are genuinely interested will apply. When a job description includes many soft-skill terms like “team player,” it can subconsciously discourage those who prefer to work independently from applying. This process saves time, energy, and money by attracting only the candidates who actually want the role.

man weeding out — Image courtesy of Getty.

Tip 2: Numbers Are King

When it comes to job descriptions, numbers are the most important details. A hiring manager’s goal is often to narrow down the applicant pool, and numbers are an effective way to do that. Years of experience, target sales quotas, team size, budget responsibility, or degree requirements are all concrete ways to quickly filter candidates.

Tip 3: Don't Double Dip

When a recruiter contacts you about a job, it’s important to let them know if you have already applied for that exact role or another position at the company. If you are already in the company’s database within the past year, as a recruiter, I may not be able to help you at all. Being transparent saves time for both you and the recruiter and ensures that your application is handled efficiently.

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Just like the Rosetta Stone cracked the code of an ancient language, knowing how to read between the lines of a job description can guide you straight to the right role. By cutting through the fluff, focusing on the numbers that actually matter, and being upfront with recruiters, you can turn a confusing listing into a clear roadmap for your next career move.

Decoding a job description is not about checking every box it is about understanding the story behind the words and showing up as the candidate who truly belongs. When you approach it the right way, every job description stops feeling like a puzzle and starts pointing you directly to opportunity.