Targeting Potential Employers and Generating Your Leads

Research Companies

One of the first steps in job hunting is to research potential employers. The more you know about a company, the more specific you can be in your cover letter and the more direct you can be in your interview. Your research will also help you decide whether a particular company is one with which you'd like to be associated.

The following list describes some ways to research potential employers. Depending on your individual situation, some of these methods will be more appropriate than others.

1. Subscribe to Your Local Newspaper. Keep your eyes open for any stories on the company. Many newspapers also have catalogued archives in which you could find past clippings.
   
   
   
   
2. Read Trade Literature. Most firms regularly distribute information on their new products, services, and employees in business-to-business magazines and in industry trade journals.
   
   
3. Learn About the Company's Competitors. Call to solicit their sales literature. Use this information to learn not only about the competition but also about the field.
   
   
4. Attend Trade Shows. Many companies participate in local and national trade shows relevant to their industry. Visit their booths and ask about their products, markets, achievements, and future plans. This may also be a good way to obtain the names of the appropriate people to contact for employment.
   
   
5. Attend Meetings of Clubs or Trade Organizations in Your Field. You'll be able to learn about the industry and also about your potential employer.
   
   
6. Purchase the Company's Product. If it is not feasible for you to buy the product the company makes, try to locate an individual or a firm that does and ask for input on the company.
   
   
7. Ask Suppliers and Distributors for Information. They can give you an insight into a company's business practices.
   
   
8. Obtain Financial Data. If the company is a public corporation, you can solicit an annual report as a potential investor. This document provides a wealth of information, from sales volume and product distribution to plans for the future. If the company is privately owned, this information may be difficult to acquire.
   
   
9. Call the Better Business Bureau. It might be worth finding out if the company has had any complaints lodged against it.
   
   
10. Visit the Local Chamber of Commerce. Local chambers often keep information on the businesses in their community. Chamber employees might even be able to give you some personal insights if they have had opportunity to interact with the company.
    
    
11. Speak to Ex-employees. If you know someone who has worked for the company in the past, he or she might be able to give you helpful input. Remember to take this information with a grain of salt, since ex-employees' opinions may be based on their reasons for leaving.
    
    
12. Call or Visit Your Local Library. Ask at the reference desk how you would go about researching a particular company. Librarians can often steer you toward a wealth of resources.
    
    
13. Be Resourceful. Try to come up with some of your own ideas or contacts for getting information about a company.
    

Generate Job Leads

Often the most difficult aspect of finding a new job is lining up interviews. Many job hunters make the mistake of relying exclusively on help-wanted ads. They're missing some important ways to help generate leads. Here, then, are some ideas for improving your chances of landing a job interview.

1. Personal Contacts. It has often been said, "It's not what you know, but who you know." The reality is that most people get jobs through personal contacts, also called networking. You should get in touch with your friends, former work associates, suppliers, vendors, bankers, doctors, neighbors, old college friends, fellow professionals, organization members, and anyone else you can think of, to see if they can offer any job leads. Also, don't forget to ask them for the names of any of their own contacts who might be able to help you in your job-search networking.
   
   
2. Informational Interviews. Perfect for the person just out of college or for those seeking a career or geographic change, these interviews allow you to gather information that may prove useful in your job search. Choose someone in the company to speak with about his or her occupation: what it takes to be successful, where the best-paying jobs can be found, how to break into the field, etc. You should also ask the person you meet with to recommend anyone else who might be willing to talk with you.
   
   
3. Managers. Who Just Got Promoted. You can find the names of these people in the Promotions section of the paper. They may be building new staffs.
   
   
4. Calls to Potential Employers. Sometimes it's worth the risk of rejection to call employers directly and explain why you'd like to work for them and why you think you're qualified for the position.
   
   
5. A Telegram or Fax. If a particular job you're interested in calls for aggressiveness, try sending a telegram or fax in response to the ad.
   
   
6. Growth Companies. Growth companies (listed under Growth Firms in the Business Periodicals Index) are continually hiring new people.
   
   
7. Newsletter Editors. Most industries have newsletters or trade journals. The editors of these publications are often aware of jobs in the market.
   
   
8. Venture Capital Companies. Many times the people in these firms are aware of businesses that are hiring, particularly high-level jobs.
   
   
9. A "Position Wanted" Ad. Many newspapers and trade publications have a special section for advertising the position you're seeking. Briefly state your accomplishments and experience.
   
   
10. Employment Agencies. Call employment agencies in your area and see which ones tend to have positions for people in your field. Fortunately, it is most often the employer who pays the agency a fee once you've been placed.
    
    
11. Executive Search Firms. Contact these firms if you're seeking a management position paying a salary above $45,000. You should write a letter that describes your job requirements; salary needs, and details your experience.
    
    
12. Job Services. Most state job services have a professional employee placement division.
    
    
13. Alumni Placement Offices. Keep in touch with your college placement offices even if it's been a while since you graduated. They often hear of jobs that require a little more experience than the average graduating senior has.
    
    
14. Trade/Professional Organizations. Join these associations to begin networking with people in your field. This is a great way to make contacts.
    

Finding a job is often a numbers game. The key to winning is to have as many irons in the fire as possible. If you're participating in all these activities, you're more likely to find that perfect job sooner. The rest of this section gives you some tips on following through with the first two important items above, networking and informational interviews.