Research – An Essential Work Strategy

• Explore occupations and specific organizations
• Seek out hidden opportunities
• Engage the help of your network
• Ask for assistance from research specialists
• Read everything you can
• Conduct informational interviews
• Have clear research goals

Research is effective
We all know that finding a great job is getting harder these days. The search for work is highly competitive. One way to set yourself apart from the crowd is to conduct thorough research – not only will you be equipped to target résumés, cover letters, you’ll appear much more confident and knowledgeable in interviews.

Explore occupations and specific organizations
Researching occupations that interest you and researching specific organizations to which you’re applying are important. To get a brief description of a variety of occupations, browse through the National Occupational Classification (NOC) binder in your library or career resource centre. If you want to know whether or not the field that you’re considering is growing or declining, check out labour market information on the internet or in Job Futures.

Seek out hidden opportunities
Most of the available work opportunities are never advertised. There are at least three kinds of unadvertised jobs: those created specially for you because the employer wants you on the team, those that insiders know about but nobody has gotten around to advertising, and those that are posted internally to encourage applicants from within.

Engage the help of your network
Whether you’re uncovering hidden work opportunities or trying to get insider information about a specific advertised job, you’ll need a little help from your friends! Be really clear about the kind of information that you want – then systematically ask everyone you know (e.g., professors, friends, classmates, parents, neighbours, relatives, coworkers) to help you get answers to your questions.

Ask for assistance from research specialists
Don’t overlook the expertise of librarians – they are highly trained research specialists! Other research specialists focus on labour market and career information. Check with your local chamber of commerce, federal Human Resources (HRDC) office, campus career and employment services, community-based career centres, or professional associations.

Read everything you can
There are great sources of information about most employers. If the job has been advertised, you’ve already got a place to start. Read the ad carefully for clues to the organization’s culture, values, and needs. Flip through annual reports or browse through the company’s webpage.

If a keyword search doesn’t take you directly there, try the companyname.org. Check trade journals and business sections of the newspaper as well – it’s very impressive in an interview to mention an article published several months ago, implying that you’ve been interested in the company for quite some time.

Conduct some informational interviews
Once you’ve exhausted the print and internet info available, you’ll be well-prepared for an informational interview. Perhaps you’ve got specific questions that published information didn’t answer, maybe you’ve come across contradictory information that you’d like to have clarified, or it could be that you’d just like an excuse to talk to someone inside the company to get their perspective on working there.

Use your network to get introductions and remember to generate specific questions from your print research. Remember informational interviewing is still a research activity!

Have clear research goals
In the early, exploratory stages of research, skim your sources or chat briefly with your contacts to get a feel for the industry or organization. Later, as you’re narrowing your scope, systematically use diverse resources to get more in-depth information.

Finally, as questions form in your mind or you discover gaps or inconsistencies in your findings, use experts or informational interviews to help you fully understand the occupation or organization that interests you. Research really does work!