In this two part series, Artisan Creative’s President Katty Douraghy shares her thoughts on the methods needed to conduct a successful job search.
In my experience, every job search or career change deserves its own Research and Development phase.
Some applicants have a haphazard technique of applying to jobs without discovering why they want to work for a particular company or venture into a new industry.
If hired, over 40+ hours a week for years to come will be spent at one of these companies—wouldn’t it be good to do some research ahead of time and determine if they are the right place for you?
One big lesson I have learned from the many candidates I have talked to over the years is that it’s not always about the money. Many other factors play into the decision of a career move or job change—the brand, the impact, the commute, the team, the culture, the recognition, the management, the philosophy, the growth opportunity as well as the salary are important.
An important question for every candidate to ask themselves is why do I want to make a change? And what are my “must-haves” in this new search vs. “nice to haves”? This gives you a clear road map to start from. Communicate these with your recruitment team, so they are also clear about your expectations and objectives.
Research Phase of the Job Search R&D
The research time involves getting clarity as to what you want in your next career move.
Is it a shorter commute? Is it to work on the agency side and touch multiple brands? Is it to be client-side and focus on developing one brand? Is it to be part of a larger collaborative team? Or is it to be a sole designer or part of a smaller team so you can wear many hats and be exposed to multiple deliverables? Is it to be hands-on, or to manage a team?
There is no right or wrong answer here—the important thing is for you to know why it’s important to you so can build your growth and development plan.
The research time into a company or industry is invaluable and not to be overlooked. It involves:
- Looking at industry trends and growth verticals
- Who is hiring, who is expanding and where the hot jobs are
- Reviewing job boards
- Reading LinkedIn profiles and company reviews
- Learning about the products you are interested in
- Join the company’s LinkedIn page, Facebook group or Twitter page to research their products and their culture
- If you are not well connected within an industry, then work with a reputable recruitment firm. Good recruiters can be a great resource and often have insider information about hiring needs at many companies—your target company could be a client of theirs
View Part II here