Please note: On a somewhat infrequent basis, Quintessential Careers asks noted
career experts five questions related to their expertise and publishes the interview
in the current issue of QuintZine,
our biweekly newsletter. Here is one such interview.
Peter Fox is the Director of MBA Career Services at the University of Tennessee College of
Business Administration.
Q:
Obviously, researching companies can be a very time-consuming
process. What advice do you have for streamlining the process or
getting the "most bang for your buck," i.e., the most information in
the least amount of time?
A:
Unfortunately, research is exactly what it says it is -- research.
The more time you spend researching, the better information you
receive. When you are short on time start with the company's Web
site, which will talk about the firm's performance, its team,
products, services, clients, and sometimes about its culture and
other employment info. If you don't like what you see, move on to the
next site. When you are on the company's Web site, start with the
products and services section and follow up with the client section,
if applicable. If a company specializes in manufacturing a product or
service you have no interest in, you are less likely to enjoy working
there. If you like the product and use it at home or in your current
job you are not only more likely to enjoy the work but you'll relate
to the people in the market research studies. If you are still on the
company's page after reading this section, go to the client section.
Most vendor selection processes will be pretty grueling, these are
the other companies that said "I want to do business with your firm."
That should say something. Keep an open mind when looking at the
client list. You never know the level of services provided. Job
searching is something like the stock market. People don't like
making decisions using bad or little information, so use as many
sources (previous employers, third-party Web sites, vendors, clients)
as possible before making that life changing decision to accept a new
job.
Q:
Is company research all about the Internet exclusively these days?
Or are there still valuable print resources that have not been
supplanted by the Internet?
A:
Walking into a library, most people will get frustrated to find
literature that is not written after the year 2000. If the last
newspaper you read was on September 10, 2001, would it accurately
describe what was happening in the world? NO. Whether the research
you use is online or offline, you still want to get the most
up-to-date information, regardless of the topic. Luckily most of the
information that is printed is also published online. Easy access to
the Web means that those resources are available to the public --
most times for free. Some books are worth their weight, but rarely
will you get your hands on a version that stays up to speed in such
turbulent markets. The online editions of the good books are usually
edited more frequently to take major developments into account. The
publishers who revise their books every year are great because they
follow the activity of a whole year and can most often show how that
activity translates into trends or cycles. My favorites are those
that offer annual publications with Web sites that support new
information between publishing dates.
Q:
What do you feel is the most disturbing trend in job-hunting today?
A:
Job-seekers, college students in particular, have more
opportunities today than they have in years. Even in a down job
market, companies are still coming to college campuses nationwide to
hire students. Companies that weren't the "employers of choice" in
the past are recognizing their weaknesses and shaping up their acts
to make their opportunities more attractive by raising salaries and
offering big perks (like company cars, and relocation packages).
Employers are also recognizing the changing needs of Generation Y
workers and shifting their organizational practices to accommodate
this different group of employees.
But the disturbing trend is that the students are the ones who are
not recognizing these changes. These redefined companies storm
campuses to interview students, and their schedules aren't even
filled. Some of the most underrated (by popular opinion) companies
can provide the best opportunities for students, if the students just
gave them a chance. Students aren't passing over these opportunities
for other opportunities either; they are just letting them slip away
based on outdated stereotypes of the company or the old roles. It all
goes back to researching companies. If you are using old information
(stereotypes especially) you can't make good decisions.
Q:
We are hearing increasingly from job-seekers about frustrations
with Internet job-hunting. They complain that they never hear
anything from employers, and that employers increasingly put up
impenetrable barriers to keep job-seekers from following up and being
proactive. Are the old rules of job-seeking and follow-up changing?
How will job-seekers need to adapt to the new rules of Internet
job-hunting? Are there ways to follow up after responding to an
online ad, and if not, what can job-seekers do in lieu of following
up to increase their odds?
A:
Using the Internet is a great way to get the most up-to-date
information on a company, whether it is stock performance, press
releases, corporate information, or other job-related research from
the organization itself. Only so much of the job search process can
be done online. At some point before, after, or during the cycle you
will have to let go of your mouse and go shake some hands and have
some conversations with employers or recruiters. I wouldn't recommend
that a job-seeker sit back and wait for a company to follow up, even
after submitting your resume through an online service. Take the
recruiting process back into your court! By doing your homework and
research in advance you should know the person who will eventually
receive your resume (if you haven't already sent him or her a copy of
your credentials), and the job-seeker can follow up appropriately
with the right person. Resumes and emails from job seekers can always
be overlooked, misplaced, "accidentally" deleted. People cannot. Make
the extra effort to become an individual through personal contact and
relationships. Most companies utilize many methods to identify
qualified candidates. The Internet has substituted for the method
previously held by the Sunday help-wanted section. Many of the old
rules of recruiting will still apply; the speed with which they are
implemented has just sped up.
Q:
What's the one job-hunting secret you share with students but that
may not be widely known?
A:
If you work on something you love, it isn't work. Most people in
their job search overlook their own interests and passions in life.
Find what you love in life (food, music, reading, decorating, babies,
pets, ice cream) and find the businesses that surround those
interests. Here's an example -- if your passion in life is rock
climbing, but you studied finance in school, consider applying your
skills to a company in that industry. Think of all the products that
go into that area (rock climbing gear, shoes, ropes, clothing,
equipment, indoor gym equipment) then think of all the businesses
that benefit from it (outdoor magazines, travel companies, equipment
vendors), and guess what? You've got a growing list of companies that
surround the industry of rock climbing. Now look on their Web sites,
find out who would hire the new personnel, give them a call, and find
out what opportunities are available. If nothing is available, call
back in a few months. Sooner or later, you will have developed a
network of people in the industry who know you are looking for a
finance-related position in the rock-climbing industry. When
something does come up at their company or one they might work with,
there is a good chance you'll hear about it.
Peter Fox is the Director of MBA Career Services at the University of Tennessee College of
Business Administration. Prior to joining Tennessee, Fox has been on both sides of the
campus recruiting equation as both a Career Counselor at Tulane University's A. B. Freeman
School of Business in New Orleans, Louisiana as well as Campus Recruiter for Deloitte
Consulting in San Francisco, California. Peter graduated from Fairfield University, in
Connecticut with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication. Contact by email at:
pdfox@utk.edu.
