The next jobs report is almost here. Here's how to read it if you're job hunting.

Want to know if it's a good time to buy a car? Browse cars online and check rates on auto loans.

But if you want to know whether it's a good time to look for a job, things are more complicated.

You can scan job listings, but if you find five roles you seem qualified for, how much does that really tell you? You don't know how many people you're competing with, how you stack up against them, or whether the company is even actively hiring for the role.

Perhaps you turn to economic data for an answer. But depending on which numbers you look at, you can come away with very different impressions of…