Targeting Prospective Employers and Networking for Success

When you move along the job search path, one fact will quickly become crystal clear it is primarily a process of elimination: your task is to consider and research as many options as possible, (lion for good reasons eliminate as many as possible, attempting to continually narrow your focus.

Your Ideal Company Profile

Let's establish some criteria to evaluate potential employers. This will enable you to identify your target companies, the places you'd really like to work. (This process, as we've pointed out, is not specific to any industry or field; the same steps, with perhaps some research resource variations, are applicable to any job, any company, any industry.)



Take a sheet of blank paper and divide it into three vertical columns. Title it 'Target Company Ideal Profile." Call the left hand column "Musts," the middle column "Preferences," and the right hand column "Nevers."

We've listed a series of questions below. After considering each question, decide whether particular criteria must be met, whether you would simply prefer it or never would consider it at all. If there are other criteria you consider important, feel free to add them to the list below and mark them accordingly on your Profile.

1. What are your geographical preferences? (Possible answers: U.S., Canada, International, Anywhere). If you only want to work in the U.S., then "Work in United States" would be the entry in the "Must" column. "Work in Canada or Foreign Country" might be the first entry in your "Never" column. There would be no applicable entry for this question in the "Preference" column. If, however, you will consider working in two of the three, then your "Must" column entry might read "Work in U.S. or Canada," your "Preference" entry if you preferred one over the other could read "Work in U.S.," and the "Never" column, "Work Overseas."
   
   
2. If you prefer to work in the U.S. or Canada, what area, state(s) or province (s)? If overseas, what area or countries?
   
   
3. Do you prefer a large city, small city, town, or somewhere as far away from civilization as possible?
   
   
4. In regard to question three, any specific preferences?
   
   
5. Do you prefer a warm or cold climate?
   
   
6. Do you prefer a large or small company? Define your terms (by sales, income, employees, offices, etc.).
   
   
7. Do you mind relocating right now? Do you want to work for a firm with a reputation for frequently relocating top people?
   
   
8. Do you mind travelling frequently? What percent do you consider reasonable? (Make sure this matches the normal requirements of the job specialization you're considering.)
   
   
9. What salary would you like to receive (put in the "Preference" column)? Whaf s the lowest salary you'll accept (in the "Must" column)?
   
   
10. Are there any benefits (such as an expense account, medical and/or dental insurance, company car, etc.) you must or would like to have?
    
    
11. Are you planning to attend graduate school at some point in the future and, if so, is a tuition reimbursement plan important to you?
    
    
12. Do you feel that a formal training program is necessary?
    
    
13. If applicable, what kinds of specific accounts would you prefer to work with? What specific products?

It's important to keep revising this new form, just as you should continue to update your Self Evaluation Form. After all, it contains the criteria by which you will judge every potential employer. Armed with a complete list of such criteria, you're now ready to find all the companies that match them.

Targeting Individual Companies

To begin creating your initial list of targeted companies, start with the Job Opportunities Databank in this directory. We've listed many major corporations and public relations firms, most of which were contacted by telephone for this edition. These listings provide a plethora of data concerning the companies' overall operations, hiring practices, and other important information on entry level job opportunities. This latter information includes key contacts (names), the average number of entry level people they hire each year, along with complete job descriptions and requirements.

One word of advice. You'll notice that some of the companies list "0" under average entry level hiring. This is more a reflection of the current economic times than a long range projection. In past editions of this book, these companies did list an average number of new hires, and they will again in the future. We have listed these companies for three reasons: 1) to present you with the overall view of prospective employers; 2) because even companies that don't plan to do any hiring will experience unexpected job openings; and 3) things change, so as soon as the economy begins to pick up, expect entry level hiring to increase again.

We have attempted to include information on those major firms that represent most of the entry level jobs out there. But there are, of course, many other companies of all sizes and shapes that you may also wish to research. In the Career Resources section, we have listed other reference tools you can use to obtain more information on the companies we've listed, as well as those we haven't.