Navigating the Hidden Job Market
This workshop is designed to help you navigate the hidden job market by exploring industries, companies, organizations, and locating key contacts in target organizations.
Why Research Employers?
Only a small percentage of jobs are ever advertised in newspapers or posted on Internet job sites, both of which cost money for the employer posting the position.Companies will post jobs on their own web sites or fill positions through referrals at no cost, if they can.
While posting your resume on the Internet is usually cost-free, you will get better results from approaching targeted organizations, finding the information you need about them and making yourself known as an interest potential employee. Researching Employers is part of the larger career exploration process.
Whether you are looking for your first job, your next job or a change of career path, this workshop can help you find the information you need to get the job you want.The resources listed are all online to ensure that you are getting the most up-to-date information possible. This workshop presents an extensive menu of online resources, some will be more helpful for your situation than others.
Some of the subscription-based resources require you to log in from a RegisNet station or use a current student ID number as part of a login. But most of these resources are free-access web sites from established organizations.
Focus is Essential
As the saying goes: If you don't know where you are going, how will you know when you get there?
The more focused you are about the type of position you seek, the more effective your research will be. If you are unclear about career direction, Regis Career Services can help. Appointments for career counseling and assessment are available at several Regis campuses and over the telephone by contacting us at 303-458-3508 or 1-800-388-2366 x3508.
Topics we will cover:
Exploring Industries
Keeping current with industry trends will help you find new opportunities. If your skills can be used in more than one sector of the economy, this section of the workshop will help you look for an industry that is growing and needs new employees.
Looking for potential employers
Don't wait for recruiters and head-hunters to find you. Identify and target the employers that interest you most.
Finding more about them
The more you know about an organization, the better prepared you will be to match your skills to their needs. Background information will help you with all aspects of job search, especially during networking and job interviews.
Information interviewing
It's who you know or who you can meet that makes the biggest difference in getting an interview with a targeted company. Information interviewing is an essential networking tool in any successful job search.
Learning more about a new industry will help you determine whether you are interested in pursuing opportunities in that sector and how best to market your skills. The following links give quick industry information.
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) - NAICS Codes (formerly called SIC codes) for new and established industries can make your search in many industry sites quicker.
Hoovers Industry Snapshots - At this site, you'll see a list of top companies and links to articles. Click on "The Lowdown" to get an overview of what's happening in the industry and the key players.
Census Economic Briefing Room - This US Census Bureau site gives quarterly sales and inventory figures by industry and other economic indicators.
Forbes Leadership - Find quick information on corporate executives.
Occupational Outlook Handbook - This US Bureau of Labor Statistics site gives job descriptions, working conditions, educational requirements, salaries and expected growth for thousands of job titles.
There are more organizations to approach to find out about career opportunities than you might think. Explore all your options by identifying employers to target. Since many organizations only list their jobs on their own web pages, developing a list of employer web sites will keep you in touch with recent announcements and new opportunities.
Information to look for:
- Location of company headquarters and branch offices
- Web site, telephone number, fax number, and email contact information
- Revenue, expenditures, number of employees
- Subsidiaries, parent company, departments and divisions
- Corporate structure
- Names of top executives and hiring managers
- Major accounts, contracts, products, services, goals
- History of the organization and the industry
- Benefits and personnel policies
- Recent industry and company events and new developments
- Comparisons with competitors
- Company culture, including: degree of formality, dress code, teamwork, how information is communicated, how decisions are made, "sacred cows".
- Job listings and position descriptions
Online Job Search Sites that Include Employer Profiles
The following resources will help you develop a list of key organizations to contact. Most also list job openings and provide a place for resume posting.
Regis CareerLink - This site is available to all Regis students and alumni. After you update your profile, upload & publish your resume and look through the jobs online, don't forget to browse the employer list. You can search alphabetically or by industry through more than 800 employers registered to recruit at Regis University.
The majority of employers in the Regis CareerLink are Front Range Colorado companies, local branches of national corporations and Colorado non-profits. The profiles usually include a link to the organization's web page and contact information.
If you have questions about this site, contact Career Services.
America's Career Infonet - Wage surveys, job descriptions, state and employer profiles
BestJobsUSA - Post your resume, search geographically for jobs, ratings for salary, community and company profile information
Career TV Company Profiles and Videos - Alphabetical listing of company profiles with videos from employers
Colorado Online Job Connection - Look for jobs, post a resume online, research companies and check out the salary survey
Overseas Jobs - Jobs, resume posting, employer profiles
Business Directories
Qwest DEX - Online yellow pages with keyword search capabilities
Super Pages - Online business directory with corporate web pages and national 411 information
Hoovers Online Directory of Companies - Search geographically by company name or industry
Any Who - Businesses, 1-800 numbers and reverse-lookup by state
Colorado Chambers of Commerce - Chamber of Commerce directories are often online as well as in print format at a local library. Some chamber sites have job boards, company profiles, links to local online business reports and other helpful information.
Chambers of Commerce in other US States
World Chambers of Commerce - Includes company files
Thomas Register of European Manufacturer - Register free to search by company, product name or product category
Kompass - Products and companies worldwide
Department of Defense Subcontracting and Procurement Companies - One way to find out about companies needing to hire is to see who got a large government contract in the last few years. This list gives chronological, financial and geographic breakdowns. The detailed tables are .pdf files that require Acrobat Reader software
National Trade Data Bank Global Trade Directory - Search by state, products, services and industry for companies in the US and abroad engaged in international trade. Contact names often included in the profile
US World Trade Centers - Most major cities have World Trade Center offices, many of which have online member directories.
Professional Associations - Some companies and organizations belong to professional associations
Employers are always more impressed with the candidate who has taken time to learn more about them. Also, the more you know about a company, the more likely you will make a solid decision about whether or not you want to work there.
The following links include considerable information about corporate financials of publicly-owned companies. One way to look at targeted employers is to approach your research as if you are a prospective investor, since investing your time and talent is as important as investing money. Look for solid financial standing or growth potential. Stable employers are more likely to be hiring and retaining employees.
Yahoo Ticket Finder - Often knowing the ticker symbol for a company will speed your search in some of the following resources
Virtual Chase - SEC filings, news stories, lawsuits, regulatory activities, and public opinion
Forbes - The latest on Fortune 500 companies
PR Newswire - News about business financial companies
EDGAR - Corporate financial reports from US Securities and Exchange Commission. All U.S. public companies must file certain documents electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These filings including 10-K (Annual Report), 10-Q (Quarterly Report), 8-K (Material Events), Proxy Statements, Initial Public Offerings, Beneficial Ownership Statements and Registration Statements are available for free from the SEC as part of the EDGAR project. If you set up a watch list, they will notify you by email whenever the companies you are interested in file an EDGAR filing
10k Wizard - A friendlier way to search EDGAR filings
Vault Reports - This site has employer profiles and employer reviews. Search by industry and location.
Search Systems Resources - Search for public and private corporation information national-wide or by state. Search options and information available varies by state. Or use some of the direct state government sites listed below
Corporate Accountability Sites
If you seek employment with a socially-responsible company, the next few sites may help answer some of your questions about potential employers.
CorpWatch - Corporate financial, social, environmental and political accountability site
National Labor Committee - In Support of Human and Worker Rights
OneWorld - Search by company name for social accountability information
ScoreCard - Corporate pollution ratings
Human Rights Watch - Tracks human rights violations of companies & government agencies
OpenSecrets - Political contributions of corporations
Green America - Shows current boycotts and background information
Subscription Databases Available Via Regis University
Special Note: Many of these online services are accessible on campus or off-campus by linking through the Regis Library page with your RegisNet account or a Regis Library User ID number (e.g., A9/10 digit Social Security number). Contact the Dayton Memorial Library Reference Desk if you have questions.
Business Source Premier
U.S. and international full-text articles on business, accounting, economic, international business and management.
Academic Universe
From Lexis-NexisThe Business section includes:
- Business articles from newspapers, magazines, journals, wires & transcripts
- Company Financial Detailed data about companies
- Compare Companies to find companies based on sales, income, number of employees and location from Hoover's Company Reports
- SEC Filings & Reports EDGAR filings, annual & quarterly reports & proxy statements
- Industry & Market News from over 25 industries
- Accounting journals & literature
- Directories including trade shows, events, US & international business opportunities
Business & Company Resource Center
From Gale/InfoTrack. Business articles and company profile database. Search by company, location, industry and date.
An information interview is a brief, informal networking meeting with someone in a targeted organization or industry. The typical information interview is about 15-20 minutes long -- the length of a coffee break. The purpose of these meetings is to give you an insider's perspective on:
- Current trends in the industry or current developments in the organization
- Job requirements
- Upcoming job openings
- Organizational culture (dress-code, traditions, how people communicate and make decisions) and day-to-day life on the job
- Other key people you should also contact
This is one of the times when all your research from earlier in this workshop will really pay off. The more you know about an organization before an information interview (or a job interview) the better impression you will make.
The added benefit you will gain from information interviewing is that you will become a known entity in an industry or organization where you would like to work. This is an opportunity to express your interest and help future colleagues get to know the strengths and abilities you offer to your field. It's human nature for managers to prefer to interview someone they've met or their colleagues have met.
Find more about information interviewing.
Whom to Contact
Start with people you know, such as:
- Friends, Friends of friends, Relatives, Neighbors, Classmates, Alumni, Teachers, Co-workers, Former Co-workers
- People you do business with, e.g. Your Landlord, Insurance Agent, Dentist, Repair Person, Lawyer, Doctor, Accountant
These people can provide you with names of other people to contact. Remember that you are interested in talking to the person who is actually doing the work you think you might enjoy. After doing a few information interviews with people you know, start contacting people you'd like to meet. ReferenceUSA (formerly Contacts Influential), For finding other names
It's not just who you know, but also who you can meet. Reference USA lists 12 milion U.S. public and private companies, derived from yellow page listings, trade journals, news articles, and filings. Search by name, location, SIC, yellow-page classification, and other criteria. To access this site, go to the Dayton Memorial Library Online Catalog. Search under the former title, Contacts Influential Denver, then link to RefUSA which is available only to users on campus.
Preparing for the Information Interview
Networking comes more naturally to some people than to others. People who are more outgoing often enjoy information interviewing. Some extraverted individuals have so much fun talking with people about their careers that they may not be selective enough with information interviews. You want to spend your time with key people. If, on the other hand, this process does not sound comfortable to you, you'll find it less stressful to pick up the phone and ask for an information interview if you are prepared ahead of time.
Before making the call, try filling in an Approach Call Worksheet.
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Greeting and Brief Introduction:
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Statement of Purpose for the Call:
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Your One-Minute Professional Introduction:
(In response to a common question -- "Tell me about yourself"
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Your Questions:
(In case this becomes a phone interview)
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Schedule the time and place for the Information Interview:
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Close and Thank You:
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Prepare your greeting, a statement of purpose and questions ahead of time. You may find someone who want to spend 10 minutes with you on the phone during your approach conversation, so you'll be ready with your questions. Otherwise, save the questions for the information interview.
Common Information Interview Questions
- What opportunities for growth (education, personal, position advancement) do you see in this organization or industry?
- What challenges do you face in your organization or industry?
- What do like best about your organization or industry? Least?
- How do people communicate in this organization?
- How are decisions made?
- Are there any traditions or sacred cows here that I should know about before I apply for openings?
- What are employers in this organization looking for in potential employees?
- Is this field or organization growing enough that there?s room for someone like me?
- What developments on the horizon could affect future opportunities?
- Who else would you recommend I talk to?
- May I use you name when I call them?
Prepare yourself for the single most common question you may be asked, either on the phone or during the meeting -- "Tell me about yourself." This is a rather vague question, so you can use it to your advantage. Write down a professional introduction - about a minute long - that focuses on your work background, education, skills and career interests. End the introduction with why you specifically want to talk to that person. This should not sound canned. But if you have notes in front of you, even if you are nervousness, you'll have some key points to cover. This gives a strong professional impression without taking up too much time in a short meeting. See examples.
Try to schedule a meeting in that person's work space if possible. Sometimes you can gather more information from just being in their work environment than from the conversation itself. If they want to meet elsewhere for coffee or lunch, you can still have a good exchange of information. Remember that people are busy -- many will be too busy to meet with you. If you make 12 calls and get three information interviews, you've done well. Those three people may provide the information you need for your next career move.
During the Information Interview
- Dress as you would for a job interview
- Arrive on time
- Bring your resume
- Be prepared to introduce yourself professionally
- Have your open-ended questions in mind, prepared using information gathered in your research
- Express your interest in their field
- Let your contact do most of the talking
- Respect that person's time and stick to the duration agreed upon
- Thank them for their time
- Ask if you may re-contact them later if you have other questions
After the Information Interview
Send a thank you note, just as you would after a job interview -- this should be an individual note thanking your contact for specific information or insight
Keep track of the name, phone number and email address of your contact and the date and content of your information interview
Use this information in your job search to make decisions, contact other people or apply for positions.
In Conclusion
We hope this workshop has provided new ideas and information to help you explore industries, discover potential employers and make contacts in your field. The more information you have about an employer, the more likely you'll know about open positions and the better prepared you will be for job interviews.
Career counselors in Regis University Career Services can help you with your career development needs, including facilitation your navigation of the hidden job market with information on researching industries and employers. Call 303.458.3508 or 800.388.2366 x3508 to make an in-person or telephone appointment.
Please take a few moments to fill out an evaluation of this online workshop Evaluation form. Your feedback is helpful and appreciated.