TARGETING COMPANIES AND INDUSTRIES FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH

One of the first things that someone asks when they start a job search is:

Who am I going to work for?

This question is more important than you think.

Determining who or where you would like to work (or perhaps more importantly where you don’t want to work) deserves careful and detailed research.

Remember…Doing research at the beginning will help you avoid disappointment in your job and career search.
 You should answer 4 questions before you start your search

• What do I want to do?
• What companies do I want to work for (or what industry do I want to work in)?
• Do I want to change industries?
• Am I willing to relocate? If so, is there anyplace I would not want to live?

 Once you have answered these questions, then you can take advantage of a number of resources available to help you find companies you will want to work for.

One of the best staring points for me has always been the State Industrial Directories. They are available at your local library. If you live near a college or university, you may find that they have a complete set for all 50 states.

The value of the State Industrial Directories lies in the detailed information that is available about even some of the smaller companies in each state. The Directories are organized by company name and also by SIC code and location. In addition, each company listing includes the names and titles of key management personnel at each location. More detailed information about using the State Industrial Directories will be included in a forthcoming blog post.

In addition to the State Industrial Directories, there are data bases available which are also available at your local library. Many libraries subscribe to these. Data bases such as Hoover’s, and ReferenceUSA offer detailed information about companies, their size, product line, key management personnel, and in the case of corporations, their subsidiaries.  There are others out there as well. Just ask the Reference Librarian in your local library for assistance.

For recruiters, I suggest that you go to your local bookstore and buy the Director of Executive and Professional Recruiters. I say “purchase” because this is a book you will want to own. It is the Bible of the recruiting industry. It lists both contingency and retained (I will discuss the difference in a future post) search firms. They are also listed by the functions and industries they specialize in. I will discuss dealing with recruiters in an upcoming post.

Once you have answered the questions I mentioned above for yourself, and have decided what companies, industries and/ or locations will be the focus of your search, then you need to consider strategies and tactics for contacting companies and getting them to review your resume and consider you for any open positions that they have. This of course, is true of recruiters, as well.

If you have any questions please let me know. If you have any suggestions for future topics, let me know that as well.