2: PREPARING FOR THE JOB SEARCH
Small Market Research If you live in a small or medium-sized city and want to work nearby, the kind of extensive research described in this chapter may not be necessary. You probably already know a lot about the local employers – and you may know someone who works where you want to work. The best basic research you can do is to get the names of small employers, study their websites and see if they post their open positions. If the management team is listed, take a look and see if you recognize any names. In a small town they may live down the street, be members of your house of worship or have children at your school. Even if you don’t know
them, use your networking contacts for an introduction. Small town employers may be more open to a chat with a job seeker than their larger corporate counterparts. As a last result, cold calling, emailing or just stopping by can sometimes lead to an opportunity to introduce yourself to a potential employer. Another research source is the website of your local newspaper and the closest regional newspaper. On those sites you can usually do searches of companies and see what stories have been written about them. Finally, the best research for job seekers in smaller communities comes in networking with friends, family, neighbors and other acquaintances. Smaller markets have the same advantage and disadvantage: a limited number of employers that you will have to research and contact, yet a smaller number of available jobs.
19 Creative Job Search | CareerForceMN.com/CreativeJobSearch
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