Job Description Analysis

Overview

Analyze job postings to identify requirements, extract ATS keywords, decode organizational culture, and surface values alignment opportunities. Output is structured to enable direct comparison with your career lexicons.

Core principle: Interpretive analysis that goes beyond literal reading - decode culture, identify priorities, read omissions, and structure findings for gap analysis.

Announce at start: "I'm analyzing this job description to identify requirements, culture signals, and strategic opportunities."

When to Use

Standalone:

• "Analyze this job description"
• "Help me understand this job posting"
• "What are the key requirements for this role?"

As prerequisite for:

• Resume alignment (need job analysis first)
• Job fit analysis (need job analysis first)
• Cover letter development (need job analysis first)

Lexicon Integration

Reads: NONE (standalone analysis of job posting only)

IMPORTANT: This skill analyzes the job posting without reading your career lexicons. It provides market analysis and job decoding but does NOT compare requirements against your specific background. Use the job-fit-analysis skill for personalized gap analysis and competitive assessment.

Outputs structure matching:

• Section I → Compare with 01_career_philosophy.md
• Section II → Compare with 02_achievement_library.md
• Section III → Compare with 03_narrative_patterns.md
• Section IV → Compare with 04_language_bank.md

Configuration

Default paths (user can override):

APPLICATIONS_DIR = "~/career-applications/"
OUTPUT_FILE_PATTERN = "{date}-{job-slug}/01-job-analysis.md"

Workflow

Phase 0: Setup

Actions:

• Accept job posting (paste, upload, or URL)
• Create job slug from title (lowercase, hyphens, max 50 chars)
• Initialize output directory

Example:

Input: "Senior Director, Center for the Arts - UCLA"
Slug: "senior-director-arts-ucla"
Directory: ~/career-applications/2025-10-31-senior-director-arts-ucla/

Phase 1: Document Intake

Accept formats:

• Pasted text
• Uploaded PDF/Word document
• URL (extract with WebFetch tool)

Validation:

• Minimum 100 words (if less, ask: "Is this the complete posting?")
• Extract full text successfully
• Confirm with user: "I have the job description. Ready to analyze?"

Phase 2: Structured Analysis (4 Sections)

Generate analysis matching lexicon structure:

Section I: Values & Philosophy Requirements

Extract:

• Leadership expectations (stated + implied)
• Core values signals (explicit statements + language patterns)
• Problem-solving philosophy (data-driven? collaborative? innovative?)
• Decision-making approach indicators

Output format:

## I. Values & Philosophy Requirements

### Leadership Expectations
[What leadership style/approach do they signal?]
**Evidence:** "[Quote from posting]"

### Core Values Signals
**Explicit:** [Values they state directly]
**Implicit:** [Values evident from emphasis/language]
**Evidence:** "[Quotes supporting interpretation]"

### Problem-Solving Philosophy
[How do they approach challenges? What evidence?]

Purpose: Enables comparison with 01_career_philosophy.md

Section II: Experience & Achievement Requirements

Extract and categorize by achievement types:

• Capital Projects & Infrastructure
• Organizational Transformation
• Revenue Generation & Growth
• Academic Leadership
• Team Building & Management
• Technical/Specialized Skills

For each category, identify:

• Required experience (explicit must-haves)
• Preferred experience (nice-to-haves)
• Quantifiable expectations (budget sizes, team sizes, scope)
• Scale indicators (project complexity, stakeholder range)

Output format:

## II. Experience & Achievement Requirements

### Capital Projects & Infrastructure
**Required:** [Explicit requirements with quotes]
**Preferred:** [Nice-to-have elements]
**Quantifiable Expectations:**
- Budget range: $X-Y mentioned
- Team size: N+ people
- Project duration: [if specified]

**Evidence:** "[Quotes from posting]"

### [Continue for each relevant category...]

Purpose: Enables comparison with 02_achievement_library.md

Section III: Communication & Narrative Requirements

Extract:

• What storytelling approaches will resonate?
• Tone & voice requirements (formal? collaborative? innovative?)
• Cultural communication style
• Narrative patterns they use in posting

Output format:

## III. Communication & Narrative Requirements

### Resonant Narratives
**Challenge-Solution Stories:** [Evidence they value this]
**Transformation Arcs:** [Evidence they value this]
**Collaboration Narratives:** [Evidence they value this]

### Tone & Voice Requirements
**Formality:** [Formal / Professional-Collaborative / Casual]
**Innovation:** [Traditional / Balanced / Cutting-Edge]
**Collaboration:** [Independent / Balanced / Highly Collaborative]

**Evidence:** "[Quotes demonstrating tone]"

### Cultural Communication Style
[How they talk about work, people, mission]

Purpose: Enables comparison with 03_narrative_patterns.md

Section IV: Language & Terminology Requirements

Extract and rank:

• ATS keywords by importance (frequency + positioning + context)
• Action verbs they use (frequency analysis)
• Industry-specific terminology
• Power phrases and signature language
• Synonym mapping opportunities

Output format:

## IV. Language & Terminology Requirements

### Critical ATS Keywords (Use in BOTH resume + cover letter)
1. **stakeholder management** (appears 5x, explicit requirement)
   - Context: "manage relationships with campus stakeholders"
   - Recommended frequency: 2-3x in materials
   - Placement: Resume (summary + 2 bullets), Cover letter (paragraph 2)

### Important Keywords (Emphasize in resume)
[Ranked by priority with context]

### Action Verbs They Use
**Strategic Leadership:** stewarded, cultivated, advanced (3x each)
**Operational:** managed, implemented, coordinated
**Collaborative:** partnered, engaged, facilitated

### Industry-Specific Language
[Terminology specific to sector/role]

### Synonym Mapping
- "stakeholder management" → "partner engagement", "relationship building"
- [Additional mappings]

Purpose: Enables comparison with 04_language_bank.md

Phase 3: Sophistication Analysis

Go beyond literal requirements:

Cultural Decoding

Analyze:

• Stated culture vs. implied culture (language patterns reveal reality)
• Contradictions (e.g., "innovative" + "established processes")
• What company emphasizes vs. what role actually requires

Output:

## V. Sophistication Analysis

### Cultural Reality Check
**Stated:** "[What they say about culture]"
**Implied:** "[What language patterns reveal]"
**Interpretation:** [What daily work likely involves]
**Evidence:** "[Specific language choices]"

Reading What's NOT Said

Identify meaningful omissions:

• No team size → possible new team or restructuring
• No salary range → negotiation strategy or budget uncertainty
• No reporting structure → organizational flux
• No diversity statement → cultural blind spot
• Vague requirements → role still being defined

Ideal Candidate Profile (Market Analysis Only)

CRITICAL INSTRUCTION: You MUST describe ideal candidates in generic third-person terms. DO NOT assess user's personal fit. NO second-person language ("you", "your"). Personal fit analysis belongs ONLY in job-fit-analysis skill.

Analyze:

• Ideal candidate archetype: Who will win this role?
• Strong candidate characteristics: What qualifications, backgrounds, and experiences position someone well?
• Competitive candidates: What profiles will likely be in the applicant pool?
• Trade-offs employer might make: Where might they compromise? (e.g., accept less experience for strong culture fit)

Output format:

### Ideal Candidate Profile

**Profile:** [Describe in third person - "A strong candidate will have...", "Ideal candidates typically possess..."]

**Strong Candidate Characteristics:**
- [Generic qualification/background, no personal assessment]
- [Generic qualification/background, no personal assessment]

**Likely Competitive Applicants:**
- [Profile type 1]
- [Profile type 2]

**Possible Trade-Offs:**
- IF [condition], employer might accept [compromise]

Priority Decoding

Determine true vs. stated importance:

• Analyze by: repetition, positioning, specificity, emphasis words
• Distinguish must-haves from boilerplate
• Rank requirements by "true importance"

Method:

High Priority Indicators:
- Mentioned 3+ times in different contexts
- Appears in first paragraph or summary
- Has specific quantifiable requirements
- Uses emphatic language ("critical", "essential")

Low Priority Indicators:
- Mentioned once at end of list
- Vague language ("familiarity with", "some experience")
- No specifics or examples

Risk & Red Flag Assessment

Identify concerns with severity and context:

### Risk Assessment

⚠️ MODERATE: "Fast-paced environment" + "manage multiple priorities"
- **Context:** Also mentions "work-life balance" support
- **Interpretation:** Likely typical workload, not crisis mode
- **Severity:** Monitor during interview
- **Matters if:** Candidate values clear boundaries and predictable hours

🚩 HIGH: No mention of team size + "build from scratch"
- **Context:** New role, unclear resources
- **Interpretation:** Possible under-resourcing or ambiguous scope
- **Severity:** Clarify expectations before accepting
- **Matters if:** Candidate needs clear structure and adequate support

✅ POSITIVE: Strong DEI commitment with specific initiatives
- **Context:** Multiple references, budget allocated
- **Interpretation:** Authentic commitment, not performative
- **Opportunity:** Strong alignment opportunity for equity-focused candidates

Strategic Timing Analysis

Assess:

• New role vs. backfill (affects expectations and flexibility)
• Urgency signals ("immediate start", "fast-growing team")
• Organizational stability indicators
• How quickly to apply

Phase 4: Output Generation

Write to: ~/career-applications/[job-slug]/01-job-analysis.md

Template:

---
job_title: [Exact title from posting]
company: [Company name]
date_analyzed: YYYY-MM-DD
posting_url: [if available]
analyst: Claude Code (job-description-analysis skill)
---

# Job Analysis: [Title] - [Company]

## Executive Summary
[2-3 sentences: role type, seniority, top 3 priorities, culture signal, ideal candidate profile]

## I. Values & Philosophy Requirements
[Full content from Phase 2, Section I]

## II. Experience & Achievement Requirements
[Full content from Phase 2, Section II]

## III. Communication & Narrative Requirements
[Full content from Phase 2, Section III]

## IV. Language & Terminology Requirements
[Full content from Phase 2, Section IV]

## V. Sophistication Analysis
[Full content from Phase 3]

## VI. Strategic Recommendations

### For Resume
1. [Top priority based on analysis]
2. [Second priority]
3. [Third priority]

### For Cover Letter
1. [Opening strategy recommendation]
2. [Middle development suggestion]
3. [Closing approach]

### For Interview Preparation
[Likely questions based on posting emphasis]

---
Generated: YYYY-MM-DD via job-description-analysis skill
Version: 1.0

Phase 5: JSON Export for Wrapper Application

After generating markdown analysis, create structured JSON output:

Write to: ~/career-applications/[job-slug]/job-analysis-v1.json

Structure:

{
  "metadata": {
    "created_at": "YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ",
    "input_file": "job-posting.pdf",
    "version": 1,
    "analyst": "Claude Code (job-description-analysis skill)"
  },
  "job_title": "Full position title",
  "institution": "Organization name",
  "position": "Position title (short)",
  "requirements": {
    "required": [
      "Explicit must-have requirement 1",
      "Explicit must-have requirement 2"
    ],
    "preferred": [
      "Nice-to-have 1",
      "Nice-to-have 2"
    ],
    "quantifiable": {
      "budget_range": "$5M+",
      "team_size": "10+",
      "years_experience": "5-7"
    }
  },
  "culture": {
    "values_explicit": ["value 1", "value 2"],
    "values_implicit": ["implied value 1", "implied value 2"],
    "tone": {
      "formality": "professional-collaborative",
      "innovation": "balanced",
      "collaboration": "highly-collaborative"
    },
    "keywords": ["keyword1", "keyword2", "keyword3"]
  },
  "key_responsibilities": [
    "Primary responsibility 1",
    "Primary responsibility 2",
    "Primary responsibility 3"
  ],
  "ats_keywords": {
    "critical": [
      {"term": "stakeholder management", "frequency": 5, "context": "relationship building"},
      {"term": "budget oversight", "frequency": 3, "context": "financial management"}
    ],
    "important": [
      {"term": "strategic planning", "frequency": 2, "context": "organizational development"}
    ]
  },
  "strategic_analysis": {
    "priority_requirements": [
      "Top priority based on analysis",
      "Second priority",
      "Third priority"
    ],
    "red_flags": [
      {"severity": "moderate", "description": "Fast-paced environment mention", "context": "Also mentions work-life balance"},
      {"severity": "high", "description": "No team size specified", "context": "Build from scratch language"}
    ],
    "ideal_candidate_profile": "Brief description of ideal candidate archetype",
    "competitive_landscape": "Description of likely competitive applicants"
  }
}

Implementation:

1. Check if job-analysis-v1.json already exists
2. If exists, increment version number: job-analysis-v2.json, job-analysis-v3.json, etc.
3. Extract structured data from the markdown analysis
4. Write JSON file with proper formatting (2-space indentation)
5. Save to same directory as markdown file

Present to user:

Analysis complete! Saved to:
- ~/career-applications/[job-slug]/01-job-analysis.md (full analysis)
- ~/career-applications/[job-slug]/job-analysis-v1.json (structured data)

Key findings:
- Role type: [IC/Manager/Executive, seniority]
- Top 3 priorities: [list]
- Culture: [primary signal]
- Ideal candidate profile: [brief description]
- Red flags: [count] identified

Next steps - Use job-fit-analysis skill to compare this role against your lexicons and get personalized competitive assessment.

Would you like to:
1. Review the full analysis
2. Proceed to job fit analysis (compare against your background)
3. Proceed to resume alignment (tailor your resume)

Error Handling

Missing or Invalid Input

## Startup Checks

**If no job description provided:**
"I need a job description to analyze. You can:
- Paste the text directly
- Upload a PDF or Word document
- Provide a URL to the posting"

**If posting too short (<100 words):**
"This seems incomplete (only [N] words). Is this the full posting?"

**If multiple postings detected:**
"I see content that looks like multiple job descriptions. Which one should I analyze?"

**If extraction fails:**
"I couldn't extract text from that file. Can you try:
- Copy/pasting the text
- Saving as PDF first
- Providing the URL instead"

Output Directory Issues

**If cannot create output directory:**
"Cannot write to ~/career-applications/.

Options:
1. Check permissions: ls -la ~/career-applications/
2. Specify different directory
3. Save to current directory instead"

Reference Materials

ats-keyword-framework.md

Purpose: Detailed ATS optimization guidance

Contents:

• How ATS systems work (resume screening algorithms)
• Keyword density best practices (frequency without stuffing)
• Strategic placement patterns (where keywords matter most)
• Context matching (keywords need proper context)
• Synonym strategies (variations that match intent)
• Industry-specific keyword patterns
• Common ATS pitfalls to avoid

tone-analysis-guide.md

Purpose: Culture decoding patterns

Contents:

• Tone classification taxonomy (formality, innovation, collaboration spectrums)
• Signal patterns by category
• Industry comparison benchmarks
• Writing style matching guidance

values-alignment-patterns.md

Purpose: Identify mission/values hooks for cover letters

Contents:

• Common organizational values categories
• Recognizing implicit values
• Connecting personal experience to organizational values
• Authentic vs. performative alignment
• Cover letter integration techniques

Success Criteria

✅ All 4 lexicon-aligned sections populated with specific content ✅ Requirements ranked by true importance (not just listed order) ✅ Cultural decoding goes beyond literal reading ✅ Red flags identified with severity and context ✅ Output structure enables direct comparison with lexicons ✅ User understands job deeply enough to make informed decision ✅ NO personal assessment language - all candidate descriptions use third-person generic language ("strong candidates will have", "ideal profiles include") ✅ NO second-person pronouns - zero instances of "you", "your", "you're" in analysis sections

Pre-Output Validation

Before saving analysis, verify:

1. Search document for "you", "your" - if found in analysis sections (not quotes), revise to third-person
2. Search for "Your Competitive" - should not appear (use "Ideal Candidate Profile" instead)
3. All candidate descriptions are generic market analysis, not personal fit assessment
4. Any strength/weakness lists describe market expectations, not specific individuals

Example Output Excerpt

## II. Experience & Achievement Requirements

### Capital Projects & Infrastructure
**Required:** "Proven experience managing capital projects with budgets exceeding $5M"
**Preferred:** "Experience with adaptive reuse projects in educational or cultural settings"

**Quantifiable Expectations:**
- Budget range: $5M+ explicitly mentioned
- Project complexity: Multi-stakeholder (campus, city, donors mentioned)
- Duration: Multi-year projects implied ("long-term planning")

**Evidence:**
- "stewarded completion of $8M renovation" (exact quote)
- "managed relationships with campus facilities, city planning, donor community"

**Priority Assessment:** HIGH
- Mentioned 3x in different contexts
- First requirement in qualifications section
- Specific minimum ($5M) not vague
- Uses emphatic language ("proven", "exceeding")

→ **Ready for comparison with achievement_library.md Section II.A (Capital Projects)**

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END OF SKILL