Researching Employers
What do you want to know about the organization you wish to work for? At bare minimum, you must know the industry/product/service it provides or represents. What is the size of the organization? Where is the corporate headquarters? Is the company financially sound or has it been struggling? What types of training and professional development programs do they offer?
Find information describing your target organizations using resources such as:
- Professional and business directories, such as the Hoover's Handbook of American Business.
Employer literature, annual reports and brochures, which are located in the CRC library or in the "Business Briefs" section of Library West.
- The Internet. Access the CRC home page through computers in the CRC Library or other locations to find links to employer information and job listings.
- Newspapers/periodicals/yellow pages.
- Talking with people familiar with or working within the organization; conduct site visits. Initiate Contact
Show interest in working for your targeted organizations through telephone calls, letters and personal contacts. Request an opportunity to interview for information about the organization or to discuss job opportunities. Never mail out hundreds of resumes and expect the employers to get back in touch with you. You must be proactive and take the initiative to express interest in the company (usually via some form of personal contact) before an employer will be interested in you. You will need to be patient and persistent. Follow up at all levels because few managers will contact you, even after sending a resume and cover letter. If there is no opening available, ask when you can call them back in the future.