Written on April 26, 2013 at 7:42 pm, by david_webpres

Over several years of meeting and interviewing job seekers, I have come to believe a very effective way to find a job is to use the target company approach.

Finding a job is a job unto itself. The job seeker should approach finding a job as a project. Any good project starts with a process and a methodology. “ How am I going to tackle the project?…what steps and methods will be necessary to complete the project successfully?”

The method I recommend for many job seekers is the target company approach. It keeps the job seeker focused; it gives the seeker a well-defined objective to complete; and most importantly it provides a framework for getting smart and knowledgeable about an industry or companies in a specific geographic market.

The form shown below is the basis for the target approach. The first step is to pick 10,15,20 companies that are potential employers. These are not necessarily companies that “are hiring” (who really knows which companies are hiring?) but are companies in an industry or location that seem logical, companies that are a fit for the seekers skills and geographic constraints. The popular internet tools…google, linkedin, facebook, and the company’s own website, are the main sources for completing the form.

The final product of this work is a “notebook” with one page for each company. The notebook is the basis for getting third party introductions (“Do you know Mary Strong who is the office manager at ABC Company, she is also a volunteer for the Youth Guidance mentoring program?)

Best of all, the notebook becomes a great resource. The seeker has already done in-depth homework on the company he/she hopefully gets to interview. The seeker knows competitors and recent news about the competitors. And, best of all if, heaven forbid, the seeker is back in the job market in the future; then dust off the old notebook and update it for the next job search!!

Target Company………Job Search Worksheet

Name of Company: ______________________________
1. Size:

• Number of employees______________
• Approx. annual sales $_____________
• Number of locations _________

2.Type of business:

Describe what the business does. Who are their customers, what are their product(s) or services, who are their competitors?

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________
3. Web site: www.____________________________________

4. Names of senior managers, office manager, President, owner, general manager: (from website or calling receptionist)
Name:_____________________Title:____________________
Name:_____________________Title:_____________________
Name:____________________ Title________________________
Name:____________________ Title:________________________

5. Recent articles and news about the company (website, Google):
________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________
NOTES: