How to read a recruitment notification without missing the part that disqualifies you

A recruitment notification is a legal document, not a job advert. It is long because it has to be precise, and the sections that decide whether you can apply at all are rarely at the front. Read it in this order and you will know where you stand in about fifteen minutes.

Start at the vacancy table, not page one

Find the table of posts. It tells you the post names, how many vacancies there are, and how they are distributed across categories. Two things matter here. First, the number of posts open to your category — a recruitment with 500 vacancies may have very few in the category and state you are applying under. Second, whether the vacancies are provisional; most are, and the number can go up or down before the final result.

Then the eligibility clause

This is the section that disqualifies people, and it has three parts.

• Qualification. Read the exact wording. "Graduate in any discipline" and "Graduate in a relevant discipline" are entirely different requirements. Note whether the qualification must be complete by the closing date or whether final-year students may apply — this single line decides thousands of applications each year.
• Age. Note the limit and, more importantly, the date it is calculated on. It is a specific cut-off date in the notification, not the day you apply and not the exam day. Age relaxation for reserved categories, ex-servicemen and persons with disabilities is listed separately, usually as a table, and the relaxations are not always additive.
• Nationality, domicile and other conditions. State recruitments often require a domicile certificate in a particular format. Some posts have physical standards or medical requirements.

The important dates box

Write down the closing date for the application, the closing date for the fee payment where it differs, the correction window if there is one, and the expected exam date. The correction window is worth knowing about in advance: it is usually a few days shortly after the form closes and it is often the only chance to fix a mistake.

The fee

Note the amount for your category and the payment modes accepted. Many recruitments charge a reduced fee or none at all for women, SC, ST and PwD candidates. Fees paid to the recruiting body are almost never refundable, including if you are found ineligible later — which is the reason to read the eligibility clause first.

The selection process and scheme of examination

How many stages there are, what each one contains, how long it takes, and how it is marked. Look specifically for negative marking and its ratio, whether stages are qualifying only or carry into the final merit, and whether there is a physical test, a typing test or a skill test. This section tells you what you are actually preparing for.

How to apply, and the annexures

The application procedure gives the portal address and the document specifications. The annexures at the back carry the prescribed formats for caste, EWS and other certificates — a certificate in the wrong format is rejected at verification even when it is genuine.

Two things people miss

• Corrigenda. Notifications get amended after publication: dates extended, vacancy counts revised, eligibility clarified. Check the recruiting body's website for a corrigendum before the closing date, and again before the exam.
• The declaration you tick. It says the information is true and that a false claim can mean debarment from future recruitments by that body. Category, date of birth and qualification claims are verified against documents later. Anything you cannot prove on paper, do not claim.

Read the official document

Every listing on this site is a summary written to save you time, and it links back to the official notification. Use the summary to decide whether the recruitment is worth your attention. Use the official PDF to decide whether you are eligible — that is the document that governs, and if the two ever disagree, the official one is right.