8 Ways to Research Your Prospective Employer

The amount of knowledge you have about a potential employer, and on the industry in which you hope to work can give you a competitive edge. This pertains both to making initial contact with employers and before going on interviews. In addition, having information on a company is also invaluable when it comes to evaluating a job offer.

You should know the company's industry, what they do, who some major clients are, and the names of some of the company's higher-ups. You should also know who is in charge of hiring for the position you are seeking.

Here are some resources to find company information.

Corporate Websites—Most businesses use their home pages as a marketing or communication tool for generating and retaining business. They may also provide annual reports, news articles, business ventures, and information about products and services. You should spend a good portion of your research time reviewing the information available at your company's home page.

Directories—Here you can get information on public and private companies, although you may be limited with private company information. A couple sites to check out are: http://www.corporateinformation.com/ & http://hoovers.com/free/. Press Releases—Like an annual report, press releases present information in a way that appeals to the media, and in turn to the consumer.

Local newspapers—Local newspapers usually publish articles about companies in their city or town. This is often the only place you will find information on small, local companies. Some newspapers publish special business sections once a week. You will also find information about employees at those companies. Should someone win an award or special recognition, a local newspaper is where you would find it. National Newspaper—While the New York Times is not planning to change its name to the U.S. Times, it can serve as a source of national information. The same can be said of other newspapers across the country, like The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, and The Washington Post, to name only a few. Articles on larger U.S. and international companies are featured in the pages of these publications.

Business Journals—The most well known is The Wall Street Journal. There are also smaller, more local business journals. You can find information on local companies as well as companies with a wider geographic scope. These journals provide a good way of tracking who has moved where, what companies have what clients, and which companies are relocating to your area. Openings of new businesses should also be announced in a business journal.

Industry Journal—These publications follow companies within different industries. This is a great way to become more knowledgeable about the industry in general. You can look at trends and upcoming changes to determine how you can best make an impact. Remember, you are trying to show potential employers what you can do for them.

Professional Journals—These journals keep you apprised of goings on in your field. In addition to providing company information, professional journals give insight into changes in a particular field. These publications also contain advice about how to do your job better. Being able to discuss new medical billing software with the office manager of a doctor's office will show your level of expertise and interest in the field.

Job Searching on Company Time?

Some good pointers on how to manage your job search and also your current job...

You’re told to treat your job search like a full–time job. But when do you have the time to look with a schedule that includes working 50–plus hours a week, going to school, caring for a family, running errands and trying to squeeze in some shut–eye? Simple. You do it at work.

Whether scouring job boards, searching company Web sites or monitoring list servs, 11 million people on average look for jobs online every week. One–quarter of workers who use a computer at work admit to searching on company time, according to a survey by staffing company. And, job site traffic spikes on weekdays during lunchtime hours.

But proceed with caution when searching for a job on company time; the key is to keep your current job, and income, until you find a new one. Follow these tips:

Know the rules

A growing number of employers have established policies on employer Internet use including monitoring employee personal e–mail abuse, personal instant messenger use, operation of personal Web sites on company time, personal postings on corporate blogs and operation of personal blogs on company time. Those companies are putting their policies into action: 26 percent of employers have fired workers for misusing the Internet and another 25 percent have terminated employees for e–mail misuse, according to a 2005 survey by the American Management Association (AMA).

Play it safe.

The AMA study found 76 percent of businesses monitor employee Web use and 55 percent keep and review e–mail messages. Use a personal e–mail account when discussing job search–related items and applications. Plus, employers would rather receive correspondence from personal accounts than from competitor addresses. And most importantly, you don’t want to send a message to a potential new employer that you conduct job searches on company time.

Don’t advertise your search.

Don’t wear your interview suit to your biz–casual office. Nothing sets off a red flag like wearing a suit to your dressed–down office. So how should you handle the wardrobe dilemma? For both men and women, suit bottoms (i.e. pants, skirts) are always passable for business casual. Bring a shoulder bag/duffle with a jacket in it, and change en route to/from the interview. For women, it is especially easy to wear a casual shell under a suit – once a jacket and stockings are removed, no one will detect an afternoon interviewee. For men, make sure your shirt stands on its own without a tie and you can easily make the switch.

Choose references wisely.

Former co–workers who have left to go elsewhere are usually the first ones to turn to if you want to keep your search confidential. But current co–workers are really the ideal names to pass along to your potential employer. Put a significant amount of thought into who will keep your confidence at your current job. Oftentimes, people find peers rather than managers to be safer bets. As long as your reference can speak to your work ethic, enthusiasm, drive and accomplishments, you don’t need to search high and low for a senior executive to speak on your behalf – go with who knows you best.

Timing is everything.

The breakfast interview is an ideal forum. Meetings scheduled at 8 a.m. are often finished in time to arrive at work by 9 a.m. If they run over, any number of reasons can be offered for a delayed arrival, but don’t go over the top. "Personal time" for a relaxing respite is still an acceptable reason for taking vacation time. Claiming sick runs you the risk of being asked to log on and work from home, or at least making yourself available. The best maneuvers are those when an interview can be tacked onto other pre–planned time off (long weekends, etc.) or non–work hours.

Never stop giving your all at work.

Job seekers can experience intense paranoia at work. If you devote yourself fully to what you’re doing in the hours you’re there (and job search with a vengeance in the hours when you’re not), you’ll continue to get the praise and recognition to keep you on track at your current job. In the end, the possibility always exists that you’ll stay. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by making co–workers suspicious and then maybe not landing a new job.

How to Judge a Recruiter

This is a long one...but a good read. I came across this article recently and thought it was worth sharing due to the many number of people and also client companies that I have talked to lately that have expressed bad experiences with recruiters.

How To Judge A Headhunter/Recruiter

Headhunters earn their living by finding and evaluating job candidates for the benefit of their clients. Some are better at this than others, and you should know what distinguishes a good headhunter from a not-so-good one -- at least from the standpoint of the job hunter. This will help you avoid (a) wasting your time, (b) divulging confidential information to the wrong people, and (c) developing false hopes.

There are a lot of headhunters out there, and they tend to come in two types:

Those who get into the business because the cost of entry is low. They're looking for a quick buck. They're in a big rush to close deals, and they aren't very concerned about what anyone thinks about how they're doing it. That's not to say they're all dishonest; just that they aren't taking the long view. You'll get pretty frustrated working with them because of the way they treat their clients, their professional community, and their job candidates.

Those who are building a business based on reputation, relationships and trust -- and on making a contribution to their professional community. They're in less of a rush, are more willing to take time to establish long term relationships, and they seek to establish their credibility as much as to earn a buck. This doesn't mean they'll take anyone's call, just that they'll act responsibly.

How does a job hunter separate a knowledgeable, trustworthy, conscientious, effective headhunter from the rest? Assess him (or her) on these four attributes:

Knowledge

A good headhunter will have tons of valuable information about the company he or she is representing, about the job, the manager and his team, about why the job is open, and about the technology (if applicable). He'll be able to tell you about the interview itself: how the manager evaluates candidates, how his team will be involved and how the selection process will play out. Most important, the headhunter will be able to coach you in a way that will maximize your chances of winning an offer.

Even good headhunters don't have all the answers. But the good ones will tell you when they don't know something.

Integrity

A trustworthy headhunter is proud of his business and glad to talk about it. His success depends on you trusting him. So, ask him thoughtful questions about himself and his work. How many years has he been in the business? What areas does he specialize in? Who are his client companies? What specific positions does he usually recruit for?

The answers matter, of course, but what you're really looking for is an indication that the headhunter is forthright and willing to tell you about himself. A headhunter who's in the business for a quick buck won't have much of a story to tell because he's operating on the fringes, picking up fees wherever he can. A good headhunter will demonstrate that he has good clients who respect him, and that he knows the in's and out's of the industry he recruits in.

Conscientiousness

A good headhunter tries to locate and separate out the best qualifed talent for his client company. That's why he won't take cold calls or waste time with people who want a "job handout". His focus is on the companies and people who will help him do his job. When he's working on a search that has led him to you, he will be 100% attentive to you.

To a good headhunter, your resume is a follow-up, a kind of background material. It isn't his objective when he calls. If a headhunter just asks for your resume and says, "I'll get back to you", you know you're dealing with a guy who's too busy dialing for dollars and not taking the time to do a great job for his client.

By investing the time to get to know you, a headhunter demonstrates his conscientiousness. So, pay attention to the questions the headhunter asks you: he's revealing himself as much as he's probing you.

Effectiveness

A good headhunter finds the right candidate and fills the job. That's his business. To accomplish this, he has to gain the respect of the people he is recruiting, and he must demonstrate his ability to be right. If he makes a few "wrong" placements, his reputation is shot.

When people get frustrated because a headhunter won't talk to them, it's often because the headhunter is very good at what he does. And talking to just anyone isn't his job. A good headhunter usually does not have the time to spend with individuals who contact him unless they happen to have expertise in the exact assignment he's currently working on.

What does all this mean to you? If you are actively looking for a job, then take control of your own job search, because the good headhunters won't talk to you. That seems contradictory, but it makes perfect sense when you consider what we've said about the headhunter's business: he can't be an effective headhunter if he starts acting like a career counselor. If you're the person the headhunter is looking for, he prefers to find you himself. Believe it or not, this is one of the best ways to recognize a good headhunter: he's the one who calls you.

But to judge him properly, evaluate the headhunter carefully on all four of the attributes described above. When you encounter a good headhunter, do your best to help him with his search. Because there's one last attribute you should know about: a good headhunter remembers

You're Hired! Now the hard work begins...

Here's an interesting and hopefully helpful article that was in our local Charlotte paper today...most people appear and act overly eager to show their stuff when starting a new job. The following tips may help you keep your excitment in check while gradually adjusting to your new office and work environment.

Learning Your New Office...

You made it past the multiple rounds of interviews, background checks and countless hoops. Congratulations -- you got the job! So now what?

Many employees forget that the real hard work begins after they start a new job, not in the steps it took to get it. Yes, you've sufficiently wowed your future employers so that they have decided to hire you. But it's important to make a solid first impression on the job and assure them that they did not make a mistake.

Martin Yate, professional development counselor and author of "Knock `em Dead: The Ultimate Job Seeker's Guide," says there are several things to keep in mind when starting off at a new company.

• Learn your environment. Your first goal should be to understand how your new office works. How and why do things get done the way they do? Learn how the company operates and the people who run it.

• Don't start re-inventing the company. Focus on learning, not doing at this point. If you suggest grand changes from the start, your co-workers may see you as arrogant or be offended by your ideas.

• Be a team player. Always be ready to take on any task and help colleagues willingly during this period. During the probationary period (typically the first 90 days), your colleagues will be watching and evaluating you to see how you fit in.

• Ask for advice from your peers. They will feel flattered, you'll get some insider information and you'll probably bond along the way.

• Save your big ideas for when you are more firmly entrenched in the company culture. "Smaller ideas are easier to sell and help you build a foundation of credibility," says Yate. "And, god forbid should something go wrong, it's no big deal."

How To Resign From Your Current Job

It sounds easier than it is...you find yourself with a great employment offer for a new company that really excites you....and resigning from your current job seems like it will be a piece of cake. Not necessarily! I have heard many stories from candidates who I have placed that were amazed at just how difficult it was to face their current boss and even peers and give their resignation. It is continually amazing to me the tactics that current employers will use to try and keep an employee on board when they hand in their resignation. Here are some tips to help you through the process:

How To Resign
A sample resignation letter is shown below. Once you have accepted a new position, consider the following:

Do Not Delay - give you notice on the day you make your decision.

Keep it Professional - focus on your new opportunity.

Keep Your Distance - they do not have a right to know where you are going.

Write it Down - hand your boss a resignation letter before talking.

Request Confidentiality - inform only those that need to know.

Don't Listen to Counteroffers - they for the benefit of employers, not employees.

Sample Resignation Letter:
Date
Dear Immediate Supervisor,
Please accept this letter as my formal resignation as (Your Current Title) from (Your Present Employer). I have accepted another career opportunity.

I, as well as my family, believe my new position will offer increased challenges, opportunity and financial rewards.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you and all my other acquaintances at (Present Employer) for your support in the past and trust that my association has been meaningful.

This has not been an easy decision, or one based on short-term thinking, and therefore I am not open for a counter offer.

I leave (Present Employer) with wonderful memories; but renewed enthusiasm and excitement for the future.

Sincerely,