In the first part of our “launching a job search” series we discussed “Creating The Job Seeker Brand: Your Strategic Marketing Plan” now we will explore some strategies on how job seekers can get the information they need about employers before they apply for a job. 

Grab Low-Hanging Fruit

Some of the easiest was to find information about companies can be found on the internet. Job seekers should peruse company websites, mission statements, annual reports and customer statements on reviewer sites to get a general idea about the company and their culture.

Also, search for news articles talking about the company’s successes and failures to get an idea of where they stand in their industry and how they are viewed by peers. 

Take the time to research key employees to find out how they are impacting the industry and what strides they’ve made in their own career with the employer. This will give you a lot of insight in the company and how they handle employees.  For example, if most of the key employees are relatively new, let’s say they’ve only been around for 2 to 3 years but the company has been in existence for over 10 years then that may indicate that the company has been unable to keep employees long-term.

Network The Smart Way

While in your information gathering stage, try to connect with current employees to find out how they feel working with the employer.  When attending networking events strike up a conversation with non-decision makers working with the employer and casually ask them about their experience. Below are a few suggested questions:

What do you like about working at the company?

How long have you been working there?

So, do you like it enough to stay?

Have you been able to learn new things?

Of course, you can add other questions depending on the direction of the conversation. The general idea is to get as much information as possible about the employer from someone who actually works there.