Step-3: Smart Search: Build Your Target List

Create Your Target List

Make a list of the 10 industries which are most appropriate for you – based on your interest areas, experience and expertise.

Create a short list of your 3 or 4 selection criteria for choosing a company. For example location, size of company, flex-hours, Public/Private. Note – You can use number of employees or total revcenue etc as a measure of the size of the company..
Apply your selection criteria to these 10 industries you have chosen and, make a list of 50 companies which may have the kind of job you can do.

Download & use the Target List tool in your playbook to make a list of your companies.

Do not worry about current job vacancies in these companies. Focus on your top selection criteria to make the intial selction of companies using the table:
Now examine these companies closely and add more information by adding information in the 3rd column in the table above (Detail Info).
Review these companies in your Target List.

To complete these activities use “Playbook: Build Your Target List”.

Let’s create your Target List!

Remember, your Target List is NOT necessarily a list of employers who have current job openings. It’s a list of companies who have people doing the kind of job you are looking for.

01. Identify the industries which interest you most

Examples – Pharmaceuticals, Banking, Legal etc

Make note of the names of the top companies in these industries.

Toolkit: Use the “Research Target List” guide to identify the most appropriate industry or group of industries relevant for your experience, expertise and interest areas.

Toolkit: For professionals in Canada: Use the “Canada Industry News” guide get information on industries of your choice.

02. Create Your Target List

Shortlist 50 Companies based on the above analysis

Your primary selection criteria could be location, possibility of flexible hours, size of company and other things which are of utmost important to you.

03. Investigate the companies in your Target List

Examine these 50 companies more closely and get detailed information about them.

Toolkit: Use the “Target List Questions” guide to examine these companies.

Toolkit: Use the “Investigate Companies” guide to help you answer questions about these companies and collect detailed information about them.

04. Review Your Target List

Toolkit: Use the “Review Target List ” guide to review your Target List and further expand it.

Refine Your Elevator Pitch

Your Elevator Pitch which you have created in the previous section must have carry a special appeal for companies in your Target List. Now that you have created your Target List – refine your Elevator Pitch from your Target List’s perspective.

Use the following format to rephrase your Elevator Pitch:

“I am looking for a new job. I am specially interested in (Professional Objective), because that kind of work fits well with my background in (your key strength/experience) and with organizations like (examples from your Target List).”