Getting ahead
Learn what the market is asking for
A simple exercise to see what employers want from your kind of role, and where you'd like to grow
Read ten job postings for your kind of role and note the skills that keep appearing that you don't have yet.
- 30 minutes
- Just you
- Once or twice a year
- Go find it
Why this can work
One job posting tells you about one company; ten, read side by side, show you what your kind of role is asking for right now. The skills that keep coming up are the ones quietly becoming standard. Knowing them before you need a new job lets you grow toward them on your own schedule.
Read moreHow to find your skills gaps from job postings
You’ll come away with one or two skills worth growing, chosen from what the market keeps asking for.
- Find ten recent postings for your kind of role.
Search a large job site for your title and for one step up. Mix companies, sizes and locations, and stick to the last month or two so you're reading the current market.
Tip: Titles vary a lot between companies. Search by what you do as well as what you're called.
- Read for patterns, not for fit.
You're not applying. Skip the company pitch, go straight to the requirements and responsibilities, and keep a simple tally of each skill or tool as it appears.
- Mark each repeated skill.
For anything that shows up in three or more postings, mark it have, partly or not yet. Ignore the one-offs; they're usually one company's wish.
- Pick one or two to grow.
Choose from the not-yets and the partlys. One or two is plenty; a longer list tends to become none.
- Keep the words they use.
Note how postings describe the skills you already have, and use those words on your resume.
Good times to repeat it: once or twice a yearwhen your role or industry shiftsbefore a review or a job search
Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
A tool or skill that shows up in a few postings, and didn't a year or two ago, can be an early sign of where the work is heading.
What might make this harder
Widen the search to adjacent titles, other cities or remote roles. Five good postings still show a pattern.
Questions people ask
How do I know what skills employers want?
Read ten or so recent postings for your kind of role and tally the skills that appear again and again. The repeated ones reflect the market's real expectations; one-offs usually don't.
How do I find my skills gaps?
Compare what keeps appearing in current postings for your role with what you can already show. Mark each repeated skill have, partly or not yet, and pick one or two to work on.
Do I need every skill listed in a job posting?
No. Postings tend to be wish lists, and plenty of people are hired without every item. Focus on the skills that show up across many postings, not the full list from one.
What skills should I learn to stay employable?
The ones your kind of role keeps asking for that you don't have yet, ideally ones your current job can use too. Reading current postings is a quick, free way to find them.
Why this works, and where it comes from
Job postings are written to attract candidates, but read in bulk they're something else: a running record of what employers in your field think the job is now. One posting is an opinion; ten are a pattern. Side by side, they show the skills that have quietly become standard, and occasionally the new ones creeping in at the edges.
The point of doing this while you're settled is timing. When you're job hunting, a gap is a problem to explain. When you're not, it's just the next thing to learn. You get to choose which skills to grow, practice them in the job you have, and arrive at any future search already holding what people are asking for.
It also changes how you talk about your work. Postings describe skills in the words hiring managers use, which are often different from the words inside your company. Borrowing their language helps people outside your company understand what you already do. That's useful on a resume, and surprisingly useful in a review.
If you're not sure you want this kind of role at all, start somewhere else. Reading postings will tell you how to get better at the job you have, which may not be the real question. In that case direction comes first, and the postings are worth a second look once you know which role you're growing toward.
Other simple things to consider
What to do next
More in Getting ahead
All of it adds up to direction
Do it with Truest and it goes on your permanent record, in a Career Vault your employer doesn’t own.
See how Truest worksAlready a member? Log in- Your growth areas, keptWhat you said you are working on getting better at sits on your Foundation page.
- A living page in your VaultKeep it as one page you add to, next to your reviews and your files.
- A reminder beforePut it on your calendar and Truest reminds you before it starts.
Read this alongside your role page
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.