If you were a sales rep for a large tech company, would you sit back and wait for clients to contact you, or would you reach out to clients you thought might be interested in the products or services you’re promoting?
As a job seeker, you are the product or service you’re promoting. And just as a successful sales rep would carefully compile a target list of prospects, you can do the same with target companies where you think you’d like to work.
Why Create a Target Company List?
One of the biggest mistakes most job seekers make is focusing their job search activities around online job listings. They scour, scroll, search and send their resumes to positions that sound appealing. The problem with this approach is that it doesn’t usually produce results.
A target company list allows you to be active, rather than passive, in your job search. By concentrating on gathering information about your target organizations, insiders and decision-makers, you’re far more likely to hear about opportunities before they hit the job boards.
Related: Unlock the Hidden Job Market
If you’re traveling with a map in hand, but you don’t know where you’re headed, the road could take you anywhere. But if you know your destination, the map will help you get there sooner and with greater efficiency. In the same way, a target company list can provide you with direction for your job search.
Networking becomes much easier when you have a clear sense of the companies and organizations where you’d like to meet people. Including target companies on your job search handbill lets others in your professional network know where you’d welcome introductions.
How to Create a Target Company List
What do you prioritize in a workplace? Would you rather work for a small or large company? How important is a reasonable commute? Are you drawn to companies with a mission?
Once you know what you’re looking for, you can begin to look for companies where you’re likely to find it. Looking for a place to start? Try one of these “best companies to work for” lists:
Top Places to Work (which includes national, regional and culture-based awards)
Great Place to Work (multiple lists)
Working Mother Best Companies Lists (including one for dads!)
Other ideas include:
Let Google lead the way. You’d be amazed at what you can find by searching Google for “best companies for remote work,” “best companies for work-life balance,” “best companies to work for in tech,” etc.
Your local library has access to databases that may not be accessible elsewhere. While the downside is that many library reference materials are limited to in-person use, the upside is that most reference librarians can help you quickly locate information you might not have even know existed.
Find out about companies in your area through Chambers of Commerce, and local media (Crain’s Chicago Business, for example, publishes an annual list of Best Places to Work in Chicago and its surrounding areas).
Visit professional association websites, which often compile lists of outstanding employers in a specific industry.
If you’re interested in working for a start-up company, business incubators in your area, such as 1871 and Chicago Innovation in Chicago, typically provide a list of companies, often highlighting businesses that are experiencing significant growth (thus in need of employees).
Try LinkedIn’s company search function, which can help you identify companies by size, location, and more. All queries can be filtered by additional criteria, including whether you have 1st, 2nd or 3rd degree connections who work there.
Using Your Target Company List in Your Job Search
You’ve carefully compiled your list of target companies. Now it’s time to put it to use!
Follow your target companies on LinkedIn, Twitter and/or Facebook. Many companies will post job openings to their social media followers before they hit the job boards. Create Google alerts for your target companies to stay on top of corporate news, and to learn about new projects and initiatives the company may be planning to launch.
Include your target company list on your job search handbill. When you have career research conversations with professionals in your industry, share your target company list with them. See if they know anyone who works at any of the companies on your list. Ask them if they can recommend other companies you might want to add to your list.
Find ways to communicate with — and be recognized by — people at the companies on your list. Join LinkedIn groups and alumni associations and participate in their discussions. Many hiring managers will post job openings to fellow alumni through a LinkedIn group.
Related: Take the Leap: Become a Thought Leader
Get creative! Who are your professional heroes? Who are your industry’s gurus? Who presented at last year’s conferences or webinars? Where do they work? Find ways to connect with them. Remember, the goal of networking is to create a relationship, not to ask for a job!
Create Your Target Company List in Pencil, Not Pen
Your target company list should remain fluid. As you move through your job search, you’ll undoubtedly learn about new companies you might want to add to your target list. On the flip side, you’ll probably decide to remove others.
Just as you track your networking activities, jot down information about your target companies as you discover more about them. Note the people you’ve talked to or met with at these companies, as well as how you plan to follow up with them.
The best time to begin creating a company target list is when you’re ready to start exploring jobs and careers. When one of our clients was reaching out for career research conversations, her elevator pitch was: “I’m talking with everybody and anybody about what they do and how they like it because I’m trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up!”
As she learned about different companies through these conversations, she started to get a feel for the type of company that appealed to her most. You can do the same. As you talk with people in your network, pay attention to what they say about the places they work. If you learn about a unique company with a great culture, add it on your list.
What you want to do goes hand in hand with where you want to do it. Creating a target company list can help you focus on both, helping you land the job of your dreams … at the company of your dreams.
A sound strategy is the foundation of a successful job search.
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