How to assess a role before you apply

Read the remit, not the title

Titles are inconsistent between organisations and often between teams within one organisation. The useful signals are the reporting line, the size and shape of the team, the budget or scope owned, and the decisions the role is expected to make without escalation.

If those cannot be described, the role has not been defined. That is worth knowing before you invest in a process.

Ask what the role replaced

A newly created position, a backfill after a promotion and a backfill after a departure are three very different situations. Each carries different expectations, different internal history and different risk.

There is nothing improper about asking. A well-run process will have a straightforward answer.

Establish the assessment criteria

You are entitled to know how you will be assessed: how many stages, who you will meet, whether there is a task, and roughly how long the process is expected to take. If a recruiter cannot answer these, they have not agreed them with the employer.

Treat unconfirmed detail as unconfirmed

Working pattern, hybrid expectations, bonus structure and progression are frequently described in general terms and then turn out to be discretionary. Ask which elements are contractual. Where we do not have confirmation from the employer, we will tell you that rather than fill the gap.