Using Company Web Sites in Your Job Search

JobMetaSeek is the largest and most complete job search and career center on the Internet. If it is about jobs, or job hunting skills, you can find it here. We offer more than 100,000 links to all types of job and career resources for nearly every occupation, profession and industry. Take the Site Tour and see how this site can make any management, professional or executive job search more efficient and productive. Employer Web Sites are one of the most important job search resources available to managers, professionals and executives. A 2001 study of hiring by 18 companies revealed that only 7.73 percent of 122,000 new employees got their interviews through job boards while 12 percent were hired after submitting a resume to a corporate website.

Company Information
Most businesses have their own sites which provide basic background information, a glimpse into the corporate culture, job opportunities, contact information and more. Most of the sites contain job pages with lists of current vacancies and extensive information about the organization. Researching the information available on a company web site is an important competitive advantage for most job seekers and is a must for mid to upper level positions.

The information available is useful in developing contact lists, customizing cover letters and resumes and deciding if it is worth pursuing a career at a specific company. Companies expect applicants to do some basic research on the company and nothing is more basic that the information on the company site.

The first step toward having a successful interview is to learn about the company with which you're interviewing. Anything and everything you can learn about an organization and its employees, customers, products or services and internal atmosphere and functions can help during an interview. When visiting a company site don't overlook the section on news or press releases as it is a valuable source of information on what the company considers important.

Employment Information
Most company web sites contain job banks with lists of current vacancies or information about employment opportunities. The easiest way for companies to advertise positions is on their own website. It costs nothing, and the company can add postings instantly in a format best suited to the company's needs and requirements.

Always check the Company's web site before you respond to a job posting on a job board. Direct employer contact is usually preferable to using a commercial job bank. Many companies are finding that it is easier to keep track of applicants online, and with the large number of applicants applying for jobs, it's also easier to funnel the appropriate applicants to the right department. It also allows the company to see which applicants are really interested in pursuing a career with the company based on whom actually applies for positions at the company website. Job boards often produce many unqualified responses and company website responses may get specialized handing or preferential treatment. In addition, the company website may contain information about the job and/or information about the company you can use to customize your response.

The Company Directory is a comprehensive list of links to company web sites. The Directory is a key resource for any job search and it is one of the largest, if not the largest, continuously updated functional listing of company web sites available on the Internet. Directories are available for both the United States and Canada. A Company Meta Search Engine is also available. The Company Web Site Directory is organized by Industry and Profession and includes 50 Categories and links to more than 50,000 Sites.