By Dr. Christopher Harz
There are two basic types of research: formal and informal. This posting covers job hunting using Formal Research.
Job Hunting using Formal Research includes the classical style of looking at job boards, ads, and job postings and examining companies by reading their websites and PR releases.
A key to finding a well-paying job is to research the market thoroughly. Knowing more about a particular company and the field it’s in will help you be more relaxed and able to ask intelligent questions during your interviews. Knowing specifics about a company’s products, competitors, culture, and future plans will impress a hiring executive that you’re really interested in the position and can quickly become a productive member of the team.
Employers expect job candidates to conduct research before an interview, but many job seekers skip this step or do a bare minimum Google search of a company’s website. Unfortunately, a lot of company websites are grandiose and cliché-riddled, with statements such as, “Our customers are our number one priority,” or, “We value our team members (that’s a popular synonym for ‘employees’).” An example from McDonalds, Inc. is, “We are committed to continuously improving our operations and enhancing our customers’ experience.” What has that really told you?
Job Hunting using Formal Research starts by searching keywords to find industries such as startups and healthcare, and then research targeted companies to help inform you of the work you’ll likely be doing and provide you with more specific keywords to insert into your resume and profile.
If you’re interested in joining a startup business, for instance, you should be aware that 80% of them fail within five years, especially if they don’t have unique or standout market advantages. Startups also tend to result in working very long hours, so it’s probable that a company interviewer will be looking for that. The balance is that startups are exciting learning environments where you’re wearing many hats and where you can make a real impact.
These sites will help your Job Hunting using Formal Research:
- ZipRecruiter. Top-rated, with many thousands of jobs. It is easy for recruiters to use, with one job posting reaching over 100 other job sites. Recruiters can post jobs for free. ziprecruiter.com
- LinkedIn. Posts are based on titles, locations, keywords, industry. It enables tracking the status of your application and sending messages to recruiters. Currently, it has tens of thousands of listings for AI specialists, for instance.
linkedin.com - CareerBuilder. It has an easy-to-use tool and enables looking at typical salaries for each role.
careerbuilder.com - Flexjobs. Subscriptions range from $6.95 per week to $49.95 annually. Importantly, it is updated daily to remove filled positions. It specializes in remote (work at home) and flexible jobs, which are getting harder to find in some technical fields.
flexjobs.com - Monster.com. Has many job postings and career advice.
monster.com - Facebook. Facebook used to be prominent in job postings but has retreated from this area recently. Facebook Jobs has shut down outside the US and Canada.
facebook.com - Indeed. A popular general job board for a variety of industries
indeed.com - Glassdoor. Check this out for insider reviews of a company’s culture, that is, how it treats its people and salary ranges from those who are working or have worked at a specific company.
glassdoor.com
The traditional next step is to send a copy of the resume to postings and await a response. This approach is a long, long journey unless you get really lucky or have highly desirable skills. There are more productive ways to search for the job you’ll treasure. The advantage of the big job boards is that you can get a good idea of the jobs available, the pay range, and the terminology used to describe the roles they are seeking. Big job boards are a good place to start your research.
In our next post, we’ll examine how to conduct informal research to get more personal contacts and perspectives on the job sources of interest.
For more information on Job Hunting using “Formal Research”, please read our SMARTer Job Hunting book. If you want to accelerate your learning, engage one of our job coaches.
