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This article,
by Parmelee Eastman, Job-Hunt's new Research Pro, is from the October
13, 2004, issue of Job-Hunt's free twice-a-month e-mailed newsletter,
the Online Job Search Guide.
For more articles in this series, go to the "Know
BEFORE You Go" page.
Exploring
the Organization’s Web Site
You’ve
found an ad for an attractive job or a network contact suggested
an interesting company. Now you need to research the company before
writing the cover letter or picking up the phone. The quickest route
to information is just a few clicks away; the organization’s
web site. Some small companies do not have web sites, but the majority
of the companies that are hiring will have created a web site for
recruitment and marketing purposes.
Finding the
Website
It
may not be obvious. The shorter web site names were reserved long
ago so the web site for your target firm may not be obvious. Jones
& Associates may be jonesassociates.com, jones-associates.com,
or just jones.com. Go to www.google.com or another search engine
and type in the company name. A list of probable web site name will
appear.
If
the right organization is not listed, use a yellow pages web site
to find the legal name or the DBA (Doing Business As) for the firm.
Or your target may be a subsidiary of another company and therefore
has placed limited information on its web site. The relationship
is usually mentioned, but not always and frequently in small print.
The parent company’s web site may not have enough detail on
your area of interest. Other sources of information for this situation
will be discussed in subsequent articles—stay tuned!
Many
large organizations support multiple web sites targeting different
audiences. The main web site is generally for marketing and often
recruitment. Other web sites may exist specifically for recruitment,
customer interaction/transactions, or country-specific activities.
Consumer product entities frequently separate corporate from product
information and consumer interaction activities such as sweepstakes.
For example, pepsi.com is product specific while pepsico.com contains
the corporate information.
How and What
Do They Do?
Once
you find the web site that you want, click on “About Us”
or “Company” for an introduction to the organization’s
business, history and size. This section may also include a mission/vision
statement, locations, or community affairs.
The
majority of web sites, even for small, private, or non-profit organizations,
have extensive sections on products, services, or activities. A
careful reading of this section will reveal not only the specific
products, but often the target markets, customer testimonials, and
channel partners/distributors.
Find More
than Jobs in the Career Section
The
career heading often includes a section on values or culture and
benefits as well as open jobs. Even if you are looking for an unpublished
job, read the descriptions to understand what characteristics/experience
is generally sought by the company. Does the company need certain
skills, or change agents? Is it hiring to support new expansion
into new markets? Note any hint of the working conditions. There’s
a world of difference between companies touting “a family
friendly workplace” vs. “seeking high energy person
with two years experience for fast-paced environment.”
Background
on the Executives
Public,
and some private firms, will list the top executives and board members
with biographical information. How well does your experience/education
match theirs? Do the majority have engineering degrees, advanced
degrees, attended local colleges or name universities? Having a
different background is not necessarily a stumbling block to fitting
it at the company, but you may need to position what your different
background brings to the company.
Layoffs in
the Future?
Public
companies will include financial information under the heading Investors.
Obviously you want to check to see if revenue is growing vs. shrinking
and if the company is profitable or not. More from the financial
section will be in the next installment of this series on how to
research companies. Some private and non-profit organizations will
reveal some information about their finances. Does the company list
venture funders? Does the firm use terms such as “solidly
profitable,” “fast-growing,” or “expanding?”
Or was the previous year “difficult,” the economy “challenging,”
and the president faced with “hard decisions?”
More
Information Coming
The
organization’s web site gives you the information you need
to begin to engage with an organization. As you continue to hold
discussions with the company, you will want more information. Look
for more research tips in future issues.
---------------------------------------------
Job-Hunt's Research Pro: Parmelee Eastman is president of
EastSight Consulting
which helps provide more effective utilization of external information
in internal decision-making processes. EastSight Consulting clients
range from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Prior to founding
EastSight, Parmelee was the vice president of the global technology
and communications practice at Fuld & Company and employed for
16 years at Digital Equipment Corporation. Parmelee holds a B.A.
from Wellesley College and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.
She can be reached at peastman@eastsightconsulting.com.
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