My 2 cents…
Job descriptions are indicative, its almost impossible to make them exhaustive.
A good comprehensive job description (JD) would ideally include, at least, the position
designation, key job accountabilities and required qualifications and experience. This
should help the candidate understand the role and the candidate’s suitability for the
role, better so that an informed decision can be made.
However, if the JD doesn’t help you understand the position in detail, suggest that, as a
scientist, you do your own research. Start with reading about the company in detail –
the people, the product/service & their research. This would help you contextualize what
you read further. Once you know the company well, you could look up the profiles of the
relevant people in the company – you could read the details about the leaders, the
managers, and the individual contributors using a portal like LinkedIn. This would help
you comprehend their research work, their technical skill set and the winning attributes
that they highlight – which most probably make them valued in the company. Reading
the profiles of the employees will also give you a rough idea about the designations in
the company and by building an intuitive organogram you will be able to comprehend
the hierarchy and your potential position in it.
This due diligence will arm you better to decide if it’s the right job for you, have a good
discussion at the interviews and after taking an informed decision, visualize & strategize
on how you can contribute, should you join the group.
We spend most of our waking hours at work and an employment decision changes the
path of not just the employee but also the family – it therefore makes sense to research
the job well before going ahead?
