Employer research is one of the most
critical, yet often shortchanged,
aspects of job-hunting. It's important
when initially determining which
companies to target in the job search
and even more important in the interviewing
stage when candidates are expected to know
something about the companies at which
they're interviewing.
In this issue, we offer an effective
technique for first-hand company research,
as well as a Q&A with a career counselor with
some excellent insights into this crucial
practice.
Researching Employers through Informational Interviews
by Katharine Hansen
Lots of great tools are available for researching companies
-- especially with the ease of using the Internet for company
research (see our
guide to researching companies).
But can you imagine a better way to research a company
than to visit that company and talk to people who
work
there? Can you conceive of a better way to gain inside
information that will help you with your job search?
Visiting companies and talking to people who work
there is the idea behind informational interviewing.
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necessary to jump start your search. We are so sure
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Peter Fox is a career counselor for Tulane
University's A. B. Freeman School
of Business, New Orleans, LA.
"Resumes and emails from job seekers can always
be overlooked, misplaced, 'accidentally' deleted," Fox
notes in our Q&A with him. "People cannot. Make the extra
effort to become an individual through personal contact and
relationships." That's just one piece of advice from Fox
in a Q&A that focuses on a technique for wisely using time when
researching employers, online vs. offline research,
and a great approach for zeroing in on a job you love.
He also notes the importance of researching companies to
keep current with the changes employers are making to lure good
employees. "If you are using old information (stereotypes
especially) you can't make good decisions," Fox says.
Researching Companies Online is one of the best sites
dedicated solely to company research. An excellent
complement to our own
Guide to Researching Companies,
Industries, and Countries,
Deb Flanagan's company research tutorial offers some areas
ours doesn't offer, and vice versa.
The tutorial, recognized among the best Career Management
sites by CareerXRoads, The Directory to Job, Resume, and Career
Management Sites on the Web, presents a step-by-step process
for finding free company and industry information on the
World Wide Web.
Research areas covered enable job-seekers and others to:
Locate High-Level Company Information
Identify Telephone Numbers and Addresses
Locate Company Home Pages
Research Company Financial Information
Monitor Company News and Periodicals
Review Public Opinion
Learn about an Industry
Use Business and Financial Meta-sites
Locate Professional Associations
Find Conferences and Seminars
Find Sales Prospects
Research Nonprofit Organizations
Identify International Business Resources
All of the sites described in the course offer
FREE information.
DirectEmployers Employment Search Engine
-- a twist in job-searching, where job-seekers can search for jobs (by location, company, industry, keyword)
directly from company Websites -- and apply for jobs directly to those employers.
This site cuts out the "middleman" job sites and includes several hundred thousand current job
openings throughout the world. Free to job-seekers.
HireDeaf.com
-- where hearing-impaired job-seekers can search (by location, industry, and keywords)
through hundreds of current job postings, store up to five different resumes, and register for a
personal job-search agent. Free to job-seekers.
JustMyJobs.com
-- the gateway site to a collection of 34 industry-specific job sites that contain hundreds of
thousands of job postings. Job-seekers can search jobs, post your resume, and register for a job
search agent. Industries include business, healthcare, science, engineering, education,
and more. Free to job-seekers.
Media Job Search Canada --
a great resource for communications and media professionals searching for a job in Canada.
Find current job opportunities or browse through a directory of television, radio, film,
print, multimedia, and advertising companies. Free to job-seekers.
Find even more career and job site additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest
Additions section.
Ad: Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters
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It is now vital that job-seekers have an e-mailable, electronic resume package!
More than 80 percent of employers are now placing resumes directly into searchable databases and an
equal percentage of employers prefer to receive resumes by e-mail.
Read more about why this package is vital.
The format that career experts currently recommend for sending your job-search material consists of:
A formatted, "print" resume in document form sent as an attachment to an e-mail message to the employer.
A text-based e-resume stripped of most formatting and pasted directly into the same e-mail message into
which your print resume is attached.
S. Gill writes: "We live 60 miles from a large city.
My husband is applying for jobs nationwide, with not
much luck. My question is: Should we move to an area
that has more publication positions available? If so,
can you tell me where to find information on publishing
companies' locations?"
Crystalaura writes: "I have a question that I did
not see addressed on this or any other site. I have
recently (three days ago) submitted a resume for a
job I am very interested in. I dropped the resume
off in person, although I left it with the receptionist
and did not speak to the person in charge of hiring.
I have not heard from them yet. I think my qualifications
closely match the job posted, and I really, really want the job.
Is it appropriate for me to follow up with a phone call,
or do I have to wait for them to contact me?"
Stephen writes: "I have been unemployed since
Sept. 28 of last year. Does the fact that I have
been unemployed for several months relay something
undesirable to prospective employers when I interview
with them? If so, how do I overcome this negative?"
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
A recent survey reveals that a lack of company knowledge is -- by far -- the most frequent interview faux pas.
The chances are great in any given interview that you will be asked some variation of the question,
"What do you know about our company?" The question could be "What attracted to you to our company" or
"Why do you want to work for our company?" or one of a number of other variations. Employers
want to see that you've done your homework; in fact, 44 percent of executives recently surveyed by Accountemps
said the most common interview pitfall for today's candidates is insufficient company research.
Executives' responses to the question "Which do you think is the most common mistake candidates
make during job interviews?" were as follows:
44% -- Little or no knowledge of the company
23% -- Unprepared to discuss career plans and goals
16% -- Limited enthusiasm
5% -- Lack of eye contact
3% -- Unprepared to discuss skills and experience
2% -- Late arrival
4% -- Other
3% -- Don't know/no answer
Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of
Managing Your Career For Dummies® (Hungry Minds, Inc.)
points out that prospective employees should be able to
answer the following key questions before the first meeting with a hiring manager:
What business is the company in?
What products and services does it sell?
Who are its primary competitors?
What current industry issues or events are of interest to the firm?
What are the company's mission, vision, and values?
How much time should you spend job-hunting? "If you're employed, you must average at least
15 hours a week, or you won't get any momentum going," advises Kate Wendleton in the syndicated
career column she writes with Dale Dauten. "Once that starts to pay off, you switch into high follow-up
mode. For example, we were working with a woman who wanted a high-level job and did not have the 'on target'
background the company was looking for. She met with 25 people during the interview process. She took notes
during each of those 25 meetings, and then sent issue-oriented notes to each person, each one
different. But they ended up passing around her notes at the company and offering her the job,"
Wendleton relates.
We've reported on some some predicted longer-term job-market trends, but what about the near future?
Here's how human resource consulting firm Drake Beam Morin sees it:
Family matters: Job seekers to shift priorities -- In a post-Sept. 11 era, job seekers and workers
will continue to place higher value on working less and spending more time with family and friends,
making life choices over career choices.
Companies to tune in to workers' needs -- Companies will be more open to accommodating
workers' preferences and needs; retention to be a top company concern.
Transferable skills = more choices -- In today's competitive labor market, job seekers will be doing
more to market themselves to a wider range of industries; encouragingly, one in two job seekers change industry or
job function successfully.
Hiring managers to stick with whom they know -- Sept. 11 and the slow economy have prompted hiring
managers to stay close to home in filling positions; 90 percent prefer to find candidates within their own
companies or through networking.
Experience counts: Older workers to enjoy greater opportunity -- With companies cutting so deeply, the
playing field between older workers and Gen X-ers is becoming more level; older workers bring much needed
experience and demonstrate flexibility.
Take Our Survey! Please Help Us Help You...
If you haven't already done so, we have a big favor to ask: please
take a few minutes to complete a totally anonymous survey.
As we vow in our privacy statement, we absolutely will not
use the information gained in any other way than to make
our Quintessential Careers site even BETTER for our readers.
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* Cover letters to recruiters
* How to write a counteroffer letter
* Home-based careers
* How to start a job club
* The ultimate guide to interview preparation
* How to create and publish a Web-ready resume
* Crafting a successful e-mail resume
* The interview as sales call
* Getting the raise you deserve
* Your senior year in college: Pivotal to job-search success
* 10 things I wish I'd known before starting college
* 10 things I wish I'd known before starting my first job
* Letters of recommendation
* 10 ways to develop job leads
* Why, how, when to use a career coach -- and whom to choose
* Employer research: step by step
* Learn about careers through job-shadowing
* Balancing career and family
* 10 job-search reality checks
* Is job flexibility right for you?
* First days on the job: Strategies to get ahead
* Dealing with a bad boss
* Making your case for telecommuting
* A day in the life of a recruiter
* Don't wait by the phone: Following up on all job leads
* Dining etiquette
* Career journaling
* The relationship between personality and career choice
* What employers are really looking for
* How to create and use a networking card
* How to resign from your job gracefully
* Step-by-step guide to career planning
* New series: 10 mistakes to avoid in: resumes, cover letters, interviews, salary
negotiation, career change, networking, job-search
* Quintessential Career Profiles of YOU, our readers
* Q&As with well-known career experts
* Book reviews
. . . and much, much more!
Don't ever want to miss another issue of QuintZine? Get a free subscription to
the email version of QuintZine by completing our
subscription form.
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We also can provide critiques and makeovers of
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Quintessential Careers also offers writing services
for those who have been asked to give a speech and
need assistance in researching and writing their
remarks.
Need a speaker for your career-oriented conference or
event at your college or organization? The Quintessential
Careers Speakers Bureau can help! Our quintessential experts
can provide presentations/workshops on a variety of
career-related topics.
