Tips from the Pros

by David Bacharach

President, CS Information Technologies (www.careersearch.net)

Top Five Company Research Tips

1.    Recognize that many openings aren’t advertised in newspapers or on job boards. But even when there aren’t any openings, companies will often create them when they see attractive candidates who can offer them real value.

2.    Because companies tend to hire from their competitors, try to focus on companies that offer similar products or services or that build on what you learned in your last position.

3.    Try to explore how your skills or knowledge might be transferred to different types of jobs. For example, teachers might find positions in training or educational sales.

4.    When searching company databases, be sure to use synonyms to cast a broader net. For example, if you are interested in the legal profession, try counsel, attorney, law, lawyer, barrister, or legal.

5.    Try to avoid general, broad-based data sources. Search industry-specific content that is rich in contact names, titles, functions, and descriptive material. Specialists almost always have better, more comprehensive data in their field than do generalists.

David Bacharach is the founder, president, and CEO of CS Information Technologies, the creators of CareerSearch, of Needham, MA. He also frequently guest lectures to MBA students on entrepreneurial studies and using technology in the job search.

© 2002. Used with permission of the author.