Tip No. 205

Q. I've been told I should develop a "Target Company List" to help me focus my job search, but I don't know where to start...help, please!

A. This is an area of a job search where good research skills come in handy, but the research is not difficult! Your target company list should simply include organizations that you would be interested in working for. They might be in a desirable geographical location, based in a specific industry of personal interest or past experience, and/or they might be one of the many, diverse companies that have need for the type of contribution you can make. The sky's the limit on this list, though prioritization as you develop this list can be helpful in keeping your focus.

In researching and developing your target company list, you might consider the lists of top places to work published by entities such as Fortune, your local Business Journal and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The companies featured are generally ranked according to profit and/or different attributes and benefits from the employees’ perspective and may be helpful in aligning your career and compensation goals with what companies are offering. Remember, you are shopping potential employers even as they are shopping potential employees like you – look for your best match to help ensure satisfaction in your next job.

Below you'll find the recently published nationwide list of 50 top small and medium companies to work for (compiled for SHRM by the Great Place to Work Institute, a research company that also produces Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For”):

Top 25 small companies (50-250 workers)

  • Analytical Graphics, Exton, Pa.
  • Triage Consulting Group, San Francisco, Calif.
  • Insomniac Games, Burbank, Calif.
  • Empower MediaMarketing, Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Archer>malmo, Memphis, Tenn.
  • Root Learning, Maumee, Ohio
  • Northeast Delta Dental, Concord, N.H.
  • Pacific Service Credit Union, Walnut Creek, Calif.
  • Kahler Slater, Milwaukee, Wis.
  • Landrum Human Resource Companies, Pensacola, Fla.
  • Ditech Communications Corp., Mountain View, Calif.
  • ESP Pharma, Edison, N.J.
  • Navigator Systems, Addison, Texas
  • Advanced Financial Services, Newport, R.I.
  • Johnston McLamb, Chantilly, Va.
  • Chronicle Books, San Francisco, Calif.
  • Ribelin Sales, Garland, Texas
  • B.I.N. Sales & Marketing, Norwalk, Conn.
  • MATRIX Resources, Atlanta, Ga.
  • Runzheimer International, Rochester, Wis.
  • Deploy Solutions, Westwood, Mass.
  • Professional Placement Resources, Jacksonville Beach, Fla.
  • Dixon Schwabl Advertising, Victor, N.Y.
  • Handango, Hurst, Texas
  • Keller Williams Realty, Austin, Texas

Top 25 medium companies (251-999 workers)

  • Genencor International, Palo Alto, Calif.
  • Acuity, Sheboygan, Wis.
  • Sage Products, Cary, Ill.
  • Hypertherm, Inc., Hanover, N.H.
  • The Integer Group, Lakewood, Colo.
  • Calibre, Alexandria, Va.
  • Spokane Teachers Credit Union, Liberty Lake, Wash.
  • The Hospice of Marion County Healthcare Alliance, Ocala, Fla.
  • Kyphon, Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif.
  • Holder Construction Company, Atlanta, Ga.
  • Professional Veterinary Products, Omaha, Neb.
  • Ultimate Software, Weston, Fla.
  • Digital Federal Credit Union DCU, Marlborough, Mass.
  • CXtec, Syracuse, N.Y.
  • Patagonia, Inc., Ventura, Calif.
  • MidState Medical Center, Meriden, Conn.
  • Synapse Group, Stamford, Conn.
  • Eileen Fisher, Irvington, N.Y.
  • Graniterock, Watsonville, Calif.
  • Lincoln Plating, Lincoln, Neb.
  • North Island Credit Union, Chula Vista, Calif.
  • Mitretek Systems, Falls Church, Va.
  • VML, Inc., Kansas City, Mo.
  • BMW Financial Services, Woodcliff Lake, N.J.
  • Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Waterbury, Vt.

Last but certainly not least, be sure to pay close attention to what people are saying about different organizations as you network. This type of inside information is invaluable when it comes to gaining a more realistic picture of what it's like to work for one company or the other. Better to know the good the bad and the ugly before signing on, if possible!

Best of luck to you!
CMI
Career Management International		  
If you have a question for CMI, please send email to tips@careermanagement.com with "Question for CMI" in the subject line.
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