How to Get a Job by Targeting the Companies You Want to Work For
Trying to get a job can make you feel helpless. The best thing you can do is send your resume to as many companies as possible, right? Not really. In fact, if you prepare ahead of time for a job at the company, you have a much better chance of getting a job.
As a child, you were probably told that you can be anyone. Unfortunately, this is not entirely true for an adult. It is unlikely that tomorrow you will quit your job as an accountant and get a job as an astronaut. However, you can target and work for specific companies rather than relying on resumes and crossed fingers.
Step one: find out about the target company
When you are trying to find a job, people often advise you to throw the net. The more places you apply, the more likely you will get a positive answer, right? In some industries, this may be true. However, the more companies you contact, the less effort you put into each of them. Instead of sending hundreds of resumes to random companies on a large message board, pick a few that you really like and take the time to learn about them.
Before you apply, try researching the company and see what you can learn. Here are just a few things to look out for:
- Glassdoor: It has never been easier to find out about a company before applying . The previously mentioned Glassdoor is an incredible resource where employees can post anonymously about their salary, benefits, their employers’ opinions, and more.
- LinkedIn: While LinkedIn is best known for jokes about email spam, LinkedIn actually has a different purpose: to help you find a job . Find the name of the company you want to apply for and see what information you can get about the people who work there. In particular, everyone you need to contact or work with on a regular basis.
- Social media: Most career counselors won’t advise you to look for jobs on Twitter ( although some will ). After successfully securing two jobs through the connections made on Twitter, I will definitely do so. You never know what will make you step in the door. Meeting people who work for the company you want to apply for on social media is a great way to break the ice.
- Company website: Don’t overlook the value of a company website. You may be able to find a directory of people you will be working with, or (hopefully) people you are reaching out to. Knowing who you want to impress can help you with your resume.
Finding some of this information can be difficult. This can be harder to understand. However, by getting an idea of what the company looks like, you can better understand whether you want to work there and what things they value. Remember, you, too, are doing research for your own benefit! You are not helping anyone by contacting a company that cannot offer you the wages, benefits and working conditions you want.
As I said above, I was lucky with Twitter. I applied for Lifehacker after talking to our current editor-in-chief, Whitson Gordon, on Twitter. He also answered a Twitter call from previous editor-in-chief Adam Pasha. The saying “This is who you know” is not just nepotism. Reaching out to you, making connections, and being a little more persistent can give you an edge. Remember, companies are made up of people. Getting on their radar, or even just understanding how they work, can give you an edge.
Step two: determine what type of work is required for the job
If the only thing that mattered in getting a job was knowing the right people, I would be anything from a neuroscientist to a professional magician. It’s not enough to know who can hire you. Once you are hired, you should be able to do the job. Before applying for a job, find out what skills are required for the job and make sure you can handle it.
Some professions make this easier than others. The ideal job application will tell you exactly what skills you need to have before applying. If the job description isn’t specific enough (and let’s face it, they rarely are), you can try the following:
- Talk to the people who completed the job: The best asset you can get when hiring is someone who has already done it. If you know someone who has done the job, ask them what the job entails, what skills helped them get the job, and what other candidates might not have.
- Explore the position itself: Remember Glassdoor and LinkedIn from the previous section? Look there for the vacancy you are applying for. Even if the company you like does not have a detailed description of your responsibilities, there may be a similar position in another company.
- Volunteer to work in your field: Free work is a difficult choice in and of itself. If you don’t know anything about the industry you are in, volunteering or an internship can be a good first step towards learning about the issues. However, be sure to understand the difference between gaining experience and going for a walk .
- Join a union or professional organization: Some industries (such as filmmaking or writing) have unions to help you get and keep a job. Others simply have professional events or gatherings where people from the industry can get together and discuss their work. Attending a convention, union meeting, or seminar can give you tons of ideas.
Of course, keep in mind that many jobs require a little on-the-job training to handle the specifics. However, the better you understand how the job is actually done, the better prepared you will be for the interview. The less an employer feels like they have to teach you, the more likely they are to hire you.
It can also be a good opportunity to find out if you really enjoy doing a particular job. Several years ago I went to video production school. Watching documentaries on how TV shows are made made life seem glamorous, and I wanted to enter the battlefield. I wanted to be able to write my own stories and put them on the screen. Our teachers, however, were mostly from news TV channels. We learned that behind the scenes, most of the work you will ever do involves other people’s stories. Although I enjoyed some of the work, I also wanted to find a way to get creative. Learning how shows are created taught me that if I really wanted a personal outlet for creativity, I wouldn’t find it in the newsroom or even as a means of control over someone else’s product. Life as a video editor or producer was not worth my time, which ultimately led to writing.
Step three: start impressing people before you apply
If you’ve followed the last two steps, you may have an idea for a position at a specific company that you want to apply for. Once you have this job in mind, start doing the job that looks impressive on this resume. If you’re applying for a graphic designer position, start creating designs and sharing them online. If you want to be a developer, start writing awesome apps. Again, as our Whitson Gordon explains , it doesn’t matter how popular your job is as long as your potential employer sees it:
When I decided I wanted to apply for Lifehacker, I immediately started blogging about apps, technology, how-tos and the like, so I had something to send them that would really be relevant (unlike my other personal blogs which I’ve had over the years). I’m pretty sure no one reads this blog, but that’s not the point. It only needed to be read by the person who hired me, which is why I wrote it. And I am sure that this is one of the reasons why I am here today.
This process does not start immediately after you have decided to complete the application. It could start years earlier. In my case, I decided that I wanted to write for Lifehacker (or a similar site) while continuing to work as a video editor . In fact, I applied twice and was bypassed before finally being hired a third time, much later. However, all this time I wrote more manuals and practiced the craft until I got hired.
Of course, building a portfolio is always a good thing. However, the advantage of having a specific company in mind is that it gives you a goal to aim for. I used to write for Android Police, but I’ve also tried to write helpful guides that could impress outside of the Android news circle. In the end, these features helped me to stand out from the person who eventually hired me.
Step four: place everything in front of your right eyes
You have done a great job so far to make sure you understand the company you want to work for and are able to impress it. It’s time to close the deal. Hope you know who the key people in the company are that you can talk to. If you haven’t started a conversation with someone yet, it’s time to do it.
A few key points to keep in mind:
- You don’t always have to wait for a vacancy to open. If there is an open listing, that’s fine. However, if you make friends with someone at the company you want to work for, ask if they know anything. Even if nothing is in stock, they can remember you when the position appears.
- Don’t say no until they do. The absolute worst thing you can do to your career chances is to give up before asking. If the job is listed only for certain cities, ask if remote work is possible or if they will be willing to relocate you. If you have four of the five qualifications, apply anyway and ask if you can study the rest at work. Don’t count yourself until someone in the company rejects first.
- Treat people in the company as people. You probably don’t think too much about filling out the resume form on the website. However, if you’re knocking someone down on Twitter or sending a cold email to a stranger, stick to normal etiquette. Don’t ask someone for a favor the first time you talk to them. Don’t be discouraged if they don’t respond right away. If they never answer, don’t pester them. Basically, if it would be unpleasant or rude to act with an ordinary person, do not do it with the person with whom you are trying to communicate.
When you have someone in the company to talk to, put everything in front of them. If you are filling out a job application, list the achievements you have worked on. If you are friends with someone at the company who is not a hiring manager, ask them what you should share during your application or interview. Once you’ve submitted your application, proceed . Don’t let them forget about you.
Ideally, at this stage, you will have enough relationships with the people who work for the company so that you can send an email or message without annoying them. If you have studied the work they do, evaluated your own skills, and declared that you consider yourself to be the right fit for the company, you are already ahead of the pack when it comes to getting their attention. Everything else is negotiation.
It is easy to succumb to suffering when looking for a job. This is a terrible process that nobody likes. However, this does not mean that you are helpless. Tailoring your job search to the specific companies you know you want to work for can help you save time and even improve your chances with the few companies you work for.