Getting ready for the first dates

Or two. Or three. Or more.

You may recall in my first post that I compared the CTG job search strategy to dating the employer. It all begins with the getting-to-know-you phase.

This is something that cannot be done just by searching databases of available jobs and sending out resumes, though it won't hurt to search a site like BusinessWorkForce.com to see who is hiring right now in your chosen field. Those listings, however, don't tell you what you want to know, which is: What problems is the employer facing?

The reason you want to know this is because to land the job you want, you have to show the employer that you are the solution. And in order to do that, you have to know what the problem is first.

This is where the courtship comes in. The way the job search process is structured, employers cannot simply state the problem and how they want it solved. You will need to tease it out of them. That means getting to know the company and the industry it is in, where company management sees the business going, and a host of other important side issues such as corporate culture.

To find all this out requires talking to someone inside the company. Fortunately, there are people in every company who are willing to talk to you. Some of them work in departments that routinely deal with outsiders, such as public relations, investor relations, and purchasing. These people may also work in the department you want to work in - and they may even be the ones that will ultimately hire you when the time comes.

Fortunately, the Internet makes finding out who these people are and contacting them easier than ever. Most company websites contain contact information for key outside contacts, and they may also list divisional and departmental heads or staff.

Your local public library also stands ready to assist with access to commercial databases like InfoTrac or Hoover's that contain information about companies and the state of their operations.

Looking through these is also one of the first things you should do in getting ready for your first date with an employer. Stay tuned for my next article!