PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
What are your non-negotiable needs and / or wants in terms of a new position ?
What are your long-term career / life goals , and how will this new position help you progress toward those goals ?
Next , use your responses to these questions to narrow down the positions and organizations in which you are most interested . Then , once you start searching for jobs , utilize this information to select the opportunities that will be the best fit for you based on what you need and want in a new position . As you find potential jobs to apply for , use this information to evaluate if each position meets your needs and includes several of your wants . If it does not , move on to the next position and continue searching .
RESEARCH COMPANIES / ORGANIZATIONS After you find opportunities and organizations in which you are interested , conduct as much research as possible to evaluate whether the job and organization will be a good fit for you . You can also use this information in the future to help you tailor your application materials and explain why you are interested in a specific organization .
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Gather information about the company / organization online
Thoroughly read through their website to learn about the size and structure of the organization ; the value / mission statement ; organizational leadership ; other departments ; as well as types of facilities , fields , etc .
Read customer reviews from various sites such as Google and Yelp , if applicable , to gain a better understanding of public perception .
Read news articles or features about the organization to learn about current events and important news items .
After you find opportunities and organizations in which you are interested , conduct as much research as possible to evaluate whether the job and organization will be a good fit for you .
Find out who their competition is and review information about them for comparison .
Utilize sites such as Glassdoor . com or Indeed . com to access reviews from current and past employees to gather information on company culture , work environment , and / or potential interview questions .
Follow the organization on social media sites such as Twitter , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , Pinterest , etc ., to stay current on their latest news and events , as well as to observe how they interact with the public .
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Tap into your network
Reach out to people in your network who have direct information . If you know anyone who currently works at the organization , worked there in the past , or has another relationship with the organization as a vendor , customer , etc ., reach out to them and see if they are willing to have a conversation to learn more about the environment and culture .
Expand your network . Reach out to others in your network and find out if any of your contacts know anyone who has a connection to the organization either as a current or former employee , vendor , customer , etc . If so , ask if they would be willing to connect you to that person so you can reach out to request information .
If you are not sure if you have any contacts who may be able to provide valuable information about the organization , utilize LinkedIn to help you . Start by searching for the organization on LinkedIn . You will be able to see if you have any direct first-level connections who work at the organization or second-level connections . If you have a second-level connection , LinkedIn will tell you which first-level connection you and the person have in common . You can then reach out to your first-level connection to see if your direct contact is comfortable making an introduction so you can ask the person some questions .
Here is an example of what that request may look like :
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Hi Lucy ,
I hope you are doing well ! I see you are connected to Tyler Graham who works for St . Charles Parks and Recreation . I am interested in applying for a position there , and was hoping you could introduce me to Tyler so I can see if he would be willing to answer a few questions .
Thank you , Jeremy
Visit the location
If the organization is a public facility or has an upcoming event and it is close to where you live , consider visiting the location to experience the facility from a visitor ’ s perspective , but also as a potential employee . sportsfieldmanagementonline . com May 2021 | SportsField Management
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