Six Ways To Research A Company

I have asked many job seekers how they spend their time, specifically, what job search activities take the most amount of time. Inevitably, job seekers will say that they spend the majority of their time "researching". Ask what that means and you'll likely get as many answers as people you ask.

So, here are six things you can do in your research of a prospective employer:

If the company is publicly traded, review their filings and earning reports
Call their customer service or technical support department. Call several times, at different times of the day, and ask the same question. It's amazing what you can learn about the organization doing that.
Follow the company on LinkedIn. Find out who does what at the company.
Talk to your friends. Use LinkedIn to find out who you know that works there currently and who has worked there in the past.
Have lunch, or grab a coffee, at nearby establishments. You might be amazed at what "chatter" you hear.
Identify their competitors, and repeat the same steps.

Take notes on each company and prepare a SWOT analysis for each. Do this for a few companies and see what comparisons you can make.

Now that you know a little more about the company it's time to ask yourself if your skills can benefit the company, and is there an opening?

job search

How To Be Successful At A Job Fair

A job fair can be an effective way to meet hiring managers and recruiters in your community and learn about many job opportunities in one day. If you are prepared and use your time wisely, you can walk away with many strong job leads. Many job seekers make careless mistakes that can hurt their chances of success at a job fair. Here are 16 simple tips to make your next job fair a success.

my job story

My Job Story - Jenny-Faye Klooster

In this week's My Job Story, we hear from Jenny-Faye Klooster, a Photo Stylist who runs the photography department for Gibson Overseas, a large kitchenware company, a job she has held for almost four years.

career, communication

How To Be A Better Public Speaker

Do you want to differentiate yourself from your peers at work? I have a simple suggestion. All you have to do is speak up! That's right. It's time to work on your public speaking skills.

defense, job search

Stop Networking!

Networking is a terrible verb to describe human interactions. For some people, networking still has that cheesy sounding ring to it. I've spent countless hours reading newspaper and magazine articles, blogs, tweets and Facebook posts from recruiters from all over the country and nearly all of them say that one of the most important job search strategies is networking.

How To Introduce Yourself Once You're Referred

Asking for a referral is important. How you handle that referral is even more important. If you want to work at XYZ Company and you know someone that works there, you should ask them to refer you to a hiring manager. Ideally, your contact will make a personal introduction, or copy you on an e-mail introduction. Sometimes, you'll just get a phone number or e-mail address of the hiring manager.

Know Your Risks, Don't Settle

Even if you've been without a job for some time, it is generally best not to settle for a job that you may not enjoy. Having said that, there are a couple of questions you should ask yourself when evaluating a job, or when determining what companies to target.

High Demand, Low Supply Blog

Welcome to High Demand, Low Supply, a career and job-search blog written by Matt and Dawn Beckwith.

Finding a job can be stressful. Here, you'll find tips to increase your odds of success with finding a new job.

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