What does it mean to Research a job opportunity?
Richard Glass
I have a lot of people over the years who have reached out to me stating that they could not find a job. Statements such as “I have applied everywhere” or “I can’t get an interview” or “I’ve applied for tons of jobs and get no response” are just some of the comments that have come my way. I ask them to tell me about these applications, to which most cannot even remember all the places that they have applied except maybe a couple places. Most applied because it was a job posting that looked like something they could do, but they could not detail what the position was about. Some say that there is nothing available for them and that they are at the point of just giving up. Does this sound like you?
I talk them through what it means to truly do a job search. The type of people that I work with are people who are entering the workforce for the first time (students, home makers), transitioning from one career to another (military transitioners), needing a new position because of a layoff, termination, or life change situation (married, moved, health, etc.), and wanting to move ahead in their career (transitioning to management or higher). As you can see that is a wide spectrum of people; however, most of them have the same issues as describe above when it comes to applying. Their biggest failure is that they did not do the research, or did not do enough to truly make an impression.
To address the comment that there are no jobs out there, here are some interesting facts about the job market today. There are many organizations out there looking for talent. Take LinkedIn for example, as of March 15, 2018 there were:
- 7,415,995 job postings of which 1,366,715 were posted within the last seven days. Of the 1.36 million recently open jobs, 1,274,555 had under 10 applicants.
This is a breakdown of this particular week in March’s job postings:
- Executive Category
- 12,774 job postings – with 11,516 under 10 applicants
- Director Category
- 15, 385 job postings – with 11,733 under 10 applicants
- Mid-Senior Level Category
- 106,722 job openings – with 76,919 under 10 applicants
- Associate Level Category
- 163,817 job openings – with 142,911 under 10 applicants
- Entry Level Category
- 840,414 job openings – with 806,854 under 10 applicants
- Internship Category
- 67,535 job openings – with 65,800 under 10 applicants
- No Specific Level Identified
- 184,604 job openings – with 175,645 under 10 applicants
These numbers are only reflecting the employment opportunities on LinkedIn. The opportunities on the other major job board websites (Dice, Monster, Indeed, etc.) reflect hundreds of thousands more job openings as well.
These numbers are astounding and reflect that the job market is burgeoning; however, it also reflects that the job seeker community is not responding in a timely basis – or not at all. If there is truly over 7 million jobs on LinkedIn, and these employers are in fact hiring, then LinkedIn alone could cover the 6.7 million unemployed workers in the US (as noted by the February 2018 Department of Labor report on unemployment). 93% of the open jobs that were posted on Linked in between March 8 and March 15 had less than 10 applicants or none at all. From an employer perspective, it would seem that there are not enough job seekers in the market, yet the Department of Labor says there are 6.576 million unemployed and another 95.512 million that have taken themselves out of the job market for whatever reason. There are enough candidates out there to cover these jobs, but most job seekers do not know how to get to the point to where they can apply for these positions with a confidence that makes them stand out amongst their competitors.
I know that my clients have stated a variety of reasons for not applying for any given job posting – do not feel qualified, not in the right geography, does not pay enough, do not like the company, and many, many more. Some of these are legitimate reasons, but some are excuses. You will know if the reasons are justified if you research the company thoroughly; however, I have found that a lot of people just don’t apply because they find the application process cumbersome and sometimes intrusive and redundant. “Why can’t they just use my resume instead of making me filling out their application on line?” Some tell me “Why should I apply – they won’t call me anyway.” Sound familiar? This is what I mean when I say it takes a job to get a job. You have to do the work, and the application process is part of that work. Try completing a state or federal application – it will try your patience, but if you are qualified then the time is worth it.
In my last article, I stated that if people would treat their resume like a proposal to a job posting (a request for proposal), then they would truly understand why they are applying for that position and be in a better position to talk about how they qualify. The same is true in the application process. You can only know if you qualify, will like the company and position, and be happy in the position when you have truly researched out the opportunity. So – how does one do that?
Research the Company’s Website
I know – this is obvious; however, it is amazing to me to hear how many people do not do this before they apply, and most do not do this thoroughly even before they interview if they are offered one. It is one of the first questions I ask during an interview – “What do you know about us?” The answers I get are underwhelming to say the least. When an opportunity comes up that you believe is something that you can do and do well, or is something that will stretch you and you may need to build on your skills and abilities in order to qualify, that is when you have to decide to “dive in” and do the research.
Obviously the company’s web site is a good place to start, and most people will look at it, but do so only on a cursory level. It will give you the general reason for their being in business; however, websites are usually customer facing in that the company is trying to obtain customers through their branding. This will show you what they do, who they serve, and why they do what they do. If the website is thorough, it will also show competencies, customers and what they have to say about the company, and much more information that will give you an idea of how you may fit in. You will see the leadership and what they have done and are doing, and it will show the many different employment opportunities.
But dig deeper in the site and you just may see a lot more information such as the history, their financial records, news about the company, and other information that a normal visitor will not read. Look at the fine print and links at the bottom of the page and go to pages normally not visited by the public. Gather as much information about the company so that you can make a sound decision as to if this is the organization that you want to be a part of, and serve with the best of your ability.
Research the News about the Company
The next job is to research the news about the company. What does the web say about the company and its stakeholders (employees, customers, suppliers, communities in which they serve, etc.). This will give you insight about the customer without the bias of the company’s website information. External information will tell a lot about the going concern of the organization. If the company is a publically traded company, then the financials are available to you as well. You can review the 10K (annual report) and the quarterly reports to get a good understanding on how the company is run, its financial status and trends, its problems and successes, and what it plans to do in the future (without revealing too much). It will share a plethora of information that may be confusing to you, but train yourself to read and understand what the company is trying to convey to investor, customers, and stakeholders – of which you are one or more of these types of people – and you will gain a knowledge that may be more than the person who may interview you. How to be humble about your knowledge will be discussed in my next article.
Research Employee Reviews
You will next review the employee review boards such as Salary.com or Glassdoor.com; however, be careful that a negative review does not dissuade you into applying. Look at the trend of reviews instead of just a few positive and negative comments. Look for the general comments on management and growth opportunities, and if that looks good – then continue your research. If there is a tremendous negative trend, then see if that lines up with the financials – they normally will. This may be an opportunity for an executive level person to reach out to the company leadership and have a candid conversation.
Research the Position
If your research on the company’s website, external information, and employee reviews are thorough, you will be in a better position to apply or not. If the decision is go forward, then the next step is to gather as much information about the position as you can. Research employees in the company and other companies that have a similar position and review their information. See what skills, abilities and backgrounds that they have and compare that to your skills, abilities and background. Take this information and the requirements of the job description and try to make a list of what you have in your skills, abilities and accomplishments, and complete a list of what you do not have. Focus on the “haves” and tailor your resume, cover letter and correspondence to reflect those, but be prepared to talk about what you need to learn, which will normally be learned from the company itself. Once you have this information and created the new resume and cover letter, then you are about ready to begin the application process. But first, check you network of contacts.
Network during the Process
You have heard this before, but most people do not utilize their network when it comes to applying for jobs. Why? Well, unfortunately a lot of people are embarrassed that they are in the job market and don’t want others to know. This is usually not the case with a student looking for an internship or their first career position, but it is the case with those who have been in the workforce and are now faced with looking for a new position. They don’t want to be seen as a failure, so they try to go it alone. Big mistake. Your network should be made up of people that know you, know your history and work ethic, know your skills and abilities, and know you well enough to potentially become a reference.
This is why it is so important not to build up your LinkedIn connections with just anybody. There will be those who you do want to include in your network that you do not know, but try to reach out to those people to begin a professional relationship instead of just accepting or asking for a connection – never to converse with that person again. I am sure you have heard the phrase “It is who you know that is important.” Most, if not all of you would agree with that statement. Every time I ask this question to a group, everyone raises their hands in agreement that this is most important. Then I tell them that it is important, but not as important as to “Who knows you.” This is how the recruiting world works. Yes, the people you know will talk with you and know your current employment situation, but a lot of them will not be able to help directly because they have no openings or they themselves are not hiring managers; however, they know people and talk to these other people all the time. Your name just may come up, and before you know it you get a phone call or email from someone you do not know who is interested in talking with you. You did not know them, but they knew you or about you. Network smart and be true to your network – it will benefit you and just may land you an opportunity to talk with the right person.
Research is Finished, Now Apply
Be thorough in your answers on the application, even if the information is repeated on your resume. This will show that you are truly interested in the position, and it will show the hiring manager that you know how to communicate professionally, which will reflect on how you may communicate to their customers. At this point, do not fall into the trap that the application process is too much trouble and decide not to complete it. You just may be leaving your dream job on the table for someone else who is willing to put in the effort.
Be professional in your writing. Hiring managers want to have a comfort level that their employees will be communicating with their customers and stakeholders in the same, similar or better way than the hiring manager does him or herself. Think along this line and it will help you be a better communicator – both written and orally.
This has been a long read, but those who have worked with me through this process have found it very beneficial. Research the companies thoroughly before you apply for a position, and your correspondence with the organizations will reflect that you are not only qualified, it will also show them that you know so much about that company that you will be a return on their investment from the first day you start.
Please keep in mind that you will not hear from every employer about an application that you completed, but I have seen that this process does increase the percentage of responses from employers, which is what people want most.
Reach out to me and let’s discuss how I can help you be successful in your job search.
About Richard Glass
Mr. Glass has been connecting talent to employers for over 20 years. He has assisted thousands of people obtain a career in their desired field. His customers include college students looking for internships and their first career position, experienced workers looking to move into their next role in the workforce, seasoned professionals looking to change careers or move up in their own organizations, and accomplished executives looking to expand their opportunities.