3. Understand your target using research
Effective job hunting involves effective research, finding out as much as possible about jobs, your preferred career path, and the organization you will apply to. You can then make focused applications. But that’s not the end – you will need to do further research to enhance an application and again before the interview. You will want to return to this chapter at various times on your job search journey.
When you research, you start broad as you decide on the type of work you want to do and then focus in greater detail. The following image makes this clear.
1. Broad sweep
You won’t want to go after a job that you have no likelihood of getting, so see how you measure up. Each country will have relevant websites to use, such as in the UK the National Careers Service or in the USA O*net online. Using sites like these will help you to see if you have a background that will make it reasonably easy to make the move, or indicate the development you will need to be a credible candidate.
This research is powerful; it will stop you heading for disappointment. Far better to realize now that you need more experience as a training officer before you are a credible candidate as a training manager, or that you need more experience and a qualification before you are ready to apply to be a marketing manager, so a job as a marketing assistant might be the better one to apply for.
Don’t stick at your desk, talk with people as well. This may help you identify alternative routes to a job, or reveal that you may not need a particular qualification. Chapter 5 is dedicated to fact-finding interviews to help you be effective when talking with people, but you must do the research first.
Before you spend too much time researching how to move into a new industry, you should check that jobs are likely to be available. Through Labour Market Information (LMI) you might find that the average age is high and that many people are likely to retire in the next few years, meaning that more jobs become available, or it may predict whether a particular job is likely to be moved overseas.
LMI provides detail on what is happening in the world of work, so you can make realistic plans for your future. It covers topics such as the number and type of job vacancies, trends in different parts of the country and what employers are looking for, so is an essential part of your job search.
2. Researching the specifics of a job
As you identify a job to apply for, start to look at the job ads and identify the most commonly mentioned characteristics. You can then ensure that these key words and qualities are used in both your CV and any communication (letter or email) you send to people within an organization.
3. Find out more so you can be an active job seeker
Once you are clear about the job and type of industry you are targeting, you can get ready to be active. Activity will cover both research to identify further information and then jobs to apply for and further details are in this chapter.
An internet search will identify relevant recruitment consultants to approach. You can check through ads to identify relevant companies, and also search via LinkedIn and through talking with others.
Find out about a company that may be expanding through the business press; there may be short posts on who is moving into new premises and so on. You may read that an organization has gained a new contract which could mean that additional jobs may become available. Don’t just look for jobs you could do, see if higher-level posts are being advertised; jobs lower down in the organization might become available later.
Research an industry using a business library who should provide resources for you to identify lists of privately owned companies. From these you can access company information – not only addresses, but also performance and structure, product information, who makes what and where it can be bought, and market research information.
You can also request copies of annual reports through the company’s PR department.
4. Research before setting up fact-finding interviews
Research has to be undertaken before a fact-finding interview (about which you will read more in Chapter 5). It is highly frustrating to someone who has given up 30 minutes of their time when they have someone asking questions to which they could easily have found the answers online. Finding out as much as possible will help you to identify the right questions to ask.
You must do as much research as you can before a fact-finding interview, otherwise it’s a wasted opportunity.
5. Research before applying for a specific job
Once you have done your research and identified the role you seek, you can conduct further research in order to revise your CV and create a targeted cover letter. Look at job ads to identify the key words used for a particular job. A great approach is to gather 4–6 different ads and notice the words that are common across all ads for a similar role. You can then ensure that these key words are included in your CV, online applications and so on.
Through forums you could chat and get details on other people’s experiences with an organization for which you have been shortlisted. A Google search will find relevant forums, and don’t forget to look for relevant groups on LinkedIn.
Your research can include checking if the company has a good reputation and is financially sound. This could be vital if you are giving up a secure job and want to know if the new organization is likely to be safe. It will also help you to understand both the organization and the industry so you can ask intelligent questions at interview.
Far too many people think a quick look at an organization’s website counts as research. This is the bare minimum; you need to do much more, including finding forums to access customer comments. You should know the answers to the following:
- What exactly does this organization do? You may want to be a finance officer but you should still find out about the product or services. An interviewer is likely to ask you what you know. Wow them with your knowledge.
- The financial status of the company – how do this year’s results compare with those of the last three years? What question could you ask at interview to demonstrate you took the time to find this out?
- What do people think? Look on forums to find out customer comments.
- Based on your research, what do you see as the key successes of the past year and the challenges for the forthcoming year?
- How does this organization compare to its competitors?
- What’s happening in the news, both for this organization and for the industry? Where are the opportunities, what impact will government initiatives have?
As you apply, you can search for news about the organization so you can start your letter by referring to what you have read, such as a problem, and your possible solution.
6. Research before the interview
When you get shortlisted for interview, you can search for the interviewer on the Internet to see if there are any mentions, or articles, in the press, and details of conferences attended, etc. Such information is very useful as you can use it to help create a question to ask, or find a way to refer to it in your introduction.
Alongside researching the company you have got an interview with, also look at the websites of competitors to understand the differences and enable you to have a view on the organizational challenges your potential new employer will face.
Set up Google alerts so you receive daily updates on anything related to the job you want.
Identify relevant professional associations. For example, if you want to move into Purchasing you can join the relevant professional association – in the UK this would be the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) – receive their journal and attend local meetings, thus developing contacts.
The question ‘What do you know about us?’ is very common. Employers want applicants who have had the initiative and enthusiasm to find out something about the organization. Stand out by showing you have gone beyond a review of their website. You will have already done this to target your application; you can now do a final review and see if there is anything relevant in the news so you can demonstrate your knowledge of the company and industry.
Next time you go for an interview armed with all relevant information, knowing who you are seeing, what the company does and who its competitors are, you will feel more confident and have a better sense of what you are letting yourself in for.
Enough research, time to get talking with people. The next two chapters will guide you.