A New Resource for Company Research

According to Weddles.com, there is a new and free online resource that can be of help in researching companies during your job search. Of course, traditional resources such as Vault, Wetfeet, Brint, and Hoover's Online offer a great deal of valuable information, some of it free, but much of it fee-based.

The new resource is ZoomInfo. They have introduced a feature that enables you to find detailed information regarding more than 3.5 million companies through their proprietary business information search engine. Using this tool, you will be able to find companies by name, products or industry, market niche and a variety of other variables. Available for review are detailed descriptions which may include specifics regarding revenues, acquisitions and recent news, bios of key employees, etc.

Be sure to include this tool in your research efforts before going in to interview with a prospective employer. Displaying your knowledge of the information to be found there may be just what's needed to position you above your competition! It could also be put to good use in writing a cover letter to accompany that dynamic executive resume you are submitting. Nothing makes a hiring executive sit up and take notice more than a candidate who shows far more than cursory knowledge of the company, its competitors, its challenges and opportunities.

Free Advice for Your Job Search ... Interviewing, Resume Writing, etc.

This simply cannot be beat! If you would like some free pointers on how to write your executive resume, how to ace that interview, or just general job search techniques, you will want to visit the CareerHub blog. With a click of your mouse you may download any one or all of the free PDF eBooks authored thus far by the group of leading career experts who are contributors to this blog. More are expected to be published at intervals, so you'll want to check back frequently.

I also recommend browsing the site as a regular part of your career development research. It is brimming with insightful commentary and strategic advice you will find invaluable in your employment search.

****

Don't Drop the Ball After the Interview!

Much as we might like it to be, executive employment search is not simply a matter of creating a high-impact executive resume, landing an interview, and going home with a great job offer. Particularly at executive level, hiring decision-making is a relatively long-term process with a series of steps leading to the offer. All along the way, others are aggressively vying for the attention of the hiring authority, making follow-up after each and every phone or in-person interview critical to ultimately landing that offer.

As soon after the interview as possible, you will want to develop or have your executive resume writer craft for you a well-thought-out, focused, and explicit thank-you letter. Ideally this letter should be sent within 2 to 3 days after the interview. Covered in the letter should be either your anticipation of the next step indicated to you in the interview, or a request for information on next steps. You'll want to cover what you perceive as key qualifications covered during the interview, and why yours are a perfect match. This is also an excellent opportunity to provide some insights into issues the company is facing and outline (in broad strokes) strategies that you recommend and would be pleased to implement for them.

In this letter you will also want to let the interviewer know that you will be following up by telephone, and give them an approximate timeframe in which to expect your call. This call will be a brief, friendly conversation to express your continued interest, offer to provide any additional info they may need, and inquire about next steps. This would not be the time to discuss specifics covered in the interview; rather your goal is to reinforce that you have a strong interest in the position and are eager to move on in the process.

Once you have had a good interview, don't drop the ball and miss out on a potentially great opportunity! The executive who follows up well will more than likely emerge as the winner.