Research
When you are looking for a job you should
try and build up as much information about possible future employers as
possible. Your local library is a good source of information on possible
employers. There are often local and national trade directories kept in the
reference section and the library usually has copies of the Yellow Pages, The
Thomson Directory and the Phone Book for your area and other areas.
All companies who have a business line
automatically get a free one-line entry in Yellow Pages. You may need to look in
the classification index at the back of the Yellow Pages as there is often a
choice of classification and the free entry will only go in one classification.
If you cannot find out an address/telephone
number for a company try calling Directory Enquiries (dial 192). When you are
sending a letter to a company make sure it has the full and correct postal
address on it including the postcode. Call the Royal Mail on (0345) 111222 to
find out the full address and postcode (calls to 0345 numbers are charged at
local rates).
You should also keep an eye on local,
regional, national and trade papers to see which companies are expanding/winning
new orders in the area(s) you are interested in working in. These papers will
also have details of who is leaving/joining a company. If someone is leaving a
company then there may well be a vacancy which you could fill. If somebody is
joining a company they may want to build their own team and clear any dead wood
from the team, replacing it with new blood - you could be the new blood! Whether
you are networking or making speculative applications you should be approaching
companies where people are coming and going.
It is very important to keep a separate
file of information on each company. Each time a new piece of information comes
to light the file should be updated. You should keep press cuttings, PR material
that the company distributes, a copy of their annual report and an up to date
list of key company figures.
