You鈥檙e a job seeker who needs info on a potential employer. Put on your trench coat and fedora. Got a fake mustache? Good. Now set up shop in a dingy office near Hell鈥檚 Kitchen. Whenever possible, walk down rain-slicked alleys with a camera in your hands and a sliver of hard-bitten cynicism in your heart.
OK, you don鈥檛 really need to be a detective to research companies (although who doesn鈥檛 love a good fake
mustache?). If you鈥檝e got access to a laptop and have a few hours on your hands, you
can uncover key data about organizations. Let鈥檚 get started on these simple ways job seekers can use social media to evaluate potential employers.
Start with the Company鈥檚 LinkedIn Page
In a perfect universe, you鈥檇 find all of the following information on a company鈥檚
LinkedIn page. As a hardboiled detective, you know it鈥檚 not a perfect universe. Not
all organizations will have filled out a complete profile, but you should be able
to find at least some of this data.
View Company Posts
When you peruse an organization鈥檚 LinkedIn feed, you should ask two questions:
- Does the content resonate with you? Let鈥檚 say you鈥檙e considering a career at the University of South Florida. A quick glance at 国产短视频posts reveals a focus on research and community outreach. If this aligns with your values, that鈥檚 a good sign.
- Can you join the conversation? If something piqu茅s your interest, comment on the post
or make a note to bring it up in the interview.
Compile Company Data
Under the about section, look at the company鈥檚 overview to determine its mission.
Below the overview, you should see a list of facts, such as the date the company was
founded and whether it is private or public. If the company is public, it鈥檚 time to
take your investigation to the next level. Because public companies 鈥渟ell their stock
on the market,鈥� you can get more information about them, explains USF鈥檚 Career Center. 鈥淧ublic companies make available their annual reports and other documents required
by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the database EDGAR.鈥�
Compile Employee Data
鈥淭he people make up the organization,鈥� explains Artemio Ramirez Jr., professor and assistant director of USF's Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications. To get a sense of the organization鈥檚 culture, learn as much as you can about its people.
Under the people section, you鈥檒l find several easy-to-digest paragraphs:
- Where employees live
- Where (and what) they studied
- What employees do
- What employees鈥� skills are
- How closely you are connected to these employees (first connection, second connection, etc.)
After these data sets, you鈥檒l see a list of employees at the company. Click on their profiles to learn more about each of them. Look for the following information:
- How long do employees stay with the company? Have the employees been there less than two years, or do most remain longer? Some companies hire recent graduates and expect them to move on. Other organizations 鈥減ut people on career paths,鈥� explains Ramirez.
- See whether the organization offers employees a pathway to promotion. 鈥淗ow long did it take them to move from one position to the next in that same organization?鈥� Ramirez asks.
- Compare your own profile with the employees鈥�. Do you share interests or an alma mater?
You can use this common ground to reach out for an informational interview.
Evaluate Posts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
Analyze the company鈥檚 social media posts. 鈥淚f the company鈥檚 website shows foosball tables and a Slurpee machine, but you don鈥檛 see a single photo of them on Instagram, that could indicate employees are too busy to use them,鈥� says this article on . On the other hand, 鈥渟elfies at after-hour outings suggest good office camaraderie.鈥�
As you peruse a company鈥檚 profiles, ask yourself:
- What kind of events do they hold? Do they offer professional development days or host keynote speakers on topics that matter to you?
- Based on the articles they share, is the organization aware of industry trends?
- From the tone of the posts and the dress code in photos, is the company formal or informal?
- Are staff for their efforts?
Detective bonus points: If the organization has a well-known brand, search for its
hashtag on Twitter and see what comes up. What are employees and customers saying?
Expand Your Research
Step away from social media and dive even deeper.
Contact a Reference Librarian
Make an appointment with a reference librarian and let them know you鈥檙e seeking information about a potential employer. Your joint sleuthing should uncover documents that help you answer the following questions, suggested by USF鈥檚 Career Center:
- What are the company鈥檚 current challenges?
- Who are the competitors?
- What is their market share?
- Have there been recent shifts in management or products?
- Is there evidence of lawsuits?
- Has the company recently downsized?
- What positions are open? Why are they open?
Read the News
Search respected publications such as The Wall Street Journal for news 鈥� from mergers to scandals 鈥� about the organization.
Use Review Sites
Look at company reviews on websites such as Glassdoor or Indeed.
If you live in the Tampa Bay area, you can also check the Tampa Bay Times鈥� 鈥淭ampa Bay鈥檚 Top 100 Workplaces鈥� to see whether your prospective employer made the
list.
Compile Job Data
If you don鈥檛 know the average salary for the position, you won鈥檛 be able to properly evaluate an offer. You can learn the median wage through these websites:
Schedule an Informational Interview
After all this research, you may still have a list of questions. Time to schedule an informational interview. Reach out to an employee at the company 鈥渢o grab some coffee and chat about their experiences,鈥� suggests this NBC News .
If you鈥檙e not sure how to network with employees at the company, you may benefit from reading our post on the topic: 鈥淗ow to Grow Your Professional Social Network (Without Being Annoying)鈥�.
We鈥檙e always here to answer your questions about advancing your career. Contact us through our website or give us a call at 813-974-0950.