How to Create a Company Target List for Job Searching? (Plus bonus how-to guide)

An absolutely critical part of your job search strategy is a company target list. Without some sort of initial plan, you’re applying all over the place and can feel pretty scattered!

Start with a target list of companies. These can be selected based on geography, reputation, growth potential…any number of criteria might help you home in on a list.

If you have more than one potential industry category, or two slightly different categories (like investment banking and insurance or pharmaceuticals and biotech) it’s ok to have more than one list. Think of the list like your compass. It can help to keep you pointing in a direction when your job search starts to get overwhelming.

Plus, the list will keep you from falling into the trap of endlessly applying to jobs online, based on the sheer fact that you found the opening, not based on a fit between skills, abilities, and interests!

Now that you have the list, start researching the actual companies to expand your knowledge base. Your goal here is to find contacts you have at each, the titles/functions that are most appealing to you, and an overall understanding of what the company does. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Now that you have your target list of companies, use LinkedIn to locate the actual contacts within each who have influence or insight into the function/title you’re interested in. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

IMPORTANT NOTE: You’re not reaching out to HR or recruiters for informational interviews unless that is your area of interest.

Gather a starting list of 5-10 contacts at each and send them informational interview requests. You can locate emails using a variety of tools, including LinkedIn, mailscoop.io, rocketreach.io, and hunter.io.

Once you begin to connect, use informational interviews to gain insights into the company, how people got into their roles, what types of positions are most aligned with your background, and ultimately the value you can add.

Use this information to continually fine-tune your job search strategy and career collateral (resume/LinkedIn), and continue building your network using the process outlined above.

Need a step-by-step guide on building and using your target list?

Download one here!