The Power of Selling, 2010a

sites to gather stats. Publicly held companies usually post recordings of quarterly conference calls with
analysts on their Web sites in the investor relations section.
While you won’t be able to research stock prices or quarterly earnings onprivate companies, you can still
find out about personnel turnover using most online databases. Ask yourself how this turnover might
affect the way business is conducted and check the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to find out if any
complaints have been lodged against the company. Finding an employer that closely matches your ideal
profile is well within your power, if you consider yourself—your unique brand—as a solution that can meet
a prospective employer’s needs. The prospects are out there just waiting to be identified.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
To get the job you want you need to prospect to find prospective employers.
It’s best to create a list of twenty-five target companies for which you would like to work.
Do your prospecting thoroughly to identify not only the companies but also multiple hiring managers at
each company.
You can use the same tools to identify your target companies that you use to identify sales prospects.
Qualify your employment leads with additional research about the company from the company Web site,
insider perspectives, company news, and company stats.
EXERCISES
1. Create your ideal prospective employer profile using the following points:
o
o
o
What are the most important characteristics of your ideal company?
In which location would you most like to live?
Which companies might be interested in the skills you have to offer in return?
2. Discuss how the sales funnel applies to your job search.
3. Visit your campus library and meet with the librarian to learn about the databases, directories, or
business lists that are available for your job search. Use at least two different sources to identify target
companies (hint: the Book of Lists is available in many cities and provides a list of top companies in
several categories).
4. Using the list you created in Exercise 3, conduct further research about each company and identify at
least three hiring managers to whom you can send your résumé and cover letter.
Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/books
Saylor.org
335