How to evaluate a job posting before you apply (in under 5 minutes)

The average job seeker applies to dozens of roles and hears back from a handful. The instinct is to apply to more jobs. The better move is to apply to fewer, better-matched jobs — because a tailored application to a 4/5-fit role beats ten generic applications to 2/5-fit roles every time.

Here's the 5-minute evaluation we've built into Braevity, which you can also run by hand.

1. Read the requirements as two lists, not one

Every job description mixes hard requirements (things that get your resume filtered out) with wish-list items (things the eventual hire probably won't fully have either). Split them:

• Hard: years of experience bands, mandatory tech/tools, location/work authorization, domain requirements ("must have fintech experience")
• Soft: "nice to have", "bonus", "familiarity with", most soft skills

If you miss more than one hard requirement, your application will likely be filtered before a human sees it. That's not pessimism — it's how ATS screening and recruiter triage actually work.

2. Score your CV coverage honestly

Take the top 6–8 responsibilities in the posting and ask: can I point to a specific line in my resume that proves I've done this? Not "I could do this" — have done, with evidence.

• 80%+ coverage → strong application, worth tailoring your resume
• 50–80% → apply if the role excites you, but lead with your strongest overlaps
• Below 50% → your time is better spent elsewhere

3. Check the compensation signals

Many postings won't state a number, but they leak signals: the seniority label, the size of the team, whether "equity" is mentioned, the phrase "competitive salary" (usually means at-market or below). In India, check the company's typical band on the job boards that show salary ranges before investing an hour in an application.

4. Run a legitimacy check

Two minutes that can save you weeks:

• Does the company's careers page list this role too?
• Is the recruiter's domain the company's real domain?
• Is the JD specific about the work, or a generic template with buzzwords?
• Reposted every week for months? That's a signal — evergreen postings often mean pipeline-building, not an open seat.

5. Decide: apply, watch, or skip

Force a decision. "Apply" means you tailor and submit within 48 hours. "Watch" means a genuine reason to wait (e.g., you want a referral first). "Skip" means close the tab and don't look back.

The discipline of deciding is the point — an unbounded "maybe later" list is where applications go to die.

Braevity runs this exact evaluation automatically: open a job page, click the pill, and get a 1–5 fit score with role-fit, CV-gap, compensation, and legitimacy analysis against your actual CV. Try it free.