Application Research - Career Development

Application Research: Researching a company is integral to a strong application and interview. Not only does it help you appear more diligent and knowledgeable, guided research takes the guesswork and fingercrossing out of applications. The more you know about what the company is, does, and is looking for, the more you can target your application. A well-researched application shows industry awareness, dedication, and attention to details. These applications are much likely to get noticed and move forward. WHERE to look:           Job posting Company website LinkedIn Wall Street Journal Industry journals Annual reports Press releases Current and former employers (connect via LinkedIn, Alum directory, CareerLink, etc.) Guidestar.org (non-profits) Careeronestop.org (US Department of Labor) WHAT to look for: Start with the job description to understand the position:       Analyze the posting. What skills are they asking for? How many years of experience? What majors or degrees do they want? Which skills are required for the job and which are recommendations? What skills do you need from day one? What can you learn in the course of the job? What kind of personality do they want in a candidate? What kind of soft skills do you need? What programs, equipment will you be using? How is the job structured? Who will you be working with? Use the company’s website to find out about their goals, products, and trivia:      Figure out what the company as a whole does, what that department does. How does this department fit in with the company as a whole? Figure out the organizational overview. How big are they (number of employees and locations)? How long have they been around? How strong are they in their field? Are they public? Private? Non-profit? Who’s in charge? Who are their clients?      Where are they located (locally or around the world)? Where would you be working? What’s the best way to get there (T, car, bus, walk, etc)? How is the company involved with the community? Does it donate to or volunteer at charities? What’s the company culture like? What are some employee perks? What opportunities are available for advancement, learning, or training? What’s their mission statement? Their objectives? How do their goals, opportunities, and positions fit with you and your goals? Look on third party sites (LinkedIn, news sites, etc) to research the industry:           Who are their competitors? How do they compare? How much are they worth? How are their stocks doing (long and short term)? What are some challenges they face? What are some of their strengths? What are trends in the industry? How have they evolved over time? Stayed constant? What are they in the news for? Have there been any big recent leadership changes? What’s their reputation? Are they downsizing? Growing? How long do people tend to work there? Why do they leave? What do they go on to next? What kind of experience do employees in your department have? HOW to incorporate your new-found knowledge: Organize it. Put all the info in a single place so that you can find it when you need it. Keep the research until the entire job search is over. If you’re researching while writing the resume/cover letter, you don’t want to have to do all of the research over again once you get an interview. Personalize your cover letter. Figure out what about the company interests you. Why do you want to work there? Show your enthusiasm and personalize it with specific examples. Tailor your application. What skills and experience do they value? Show you’ve got what they need. Find a need or weakness in the company. Do you have the means to fill it? Show how you can make the company stronger. Show you’re savvy. Show understanding of the company, department, and industry in your application. Prep for your interview. Learn as much as you can about the company. Come up with intelligent, probing questions that you can’t find the answers to online.