Now that you've detailed the kinds of companies you're after, it's time to identify the names of those companies. Refer back to your Employer Wish List. Then, select broad industry categories where your skills, experiences, and interests would be a good fit. Examples would be Healthcare or Professional Services or Consumer Products.

Begin to research specific organizations that meet your criteria in each of those industries. You'll gather as much information on them as you can and network your way in to meet with the hiring managers (not Human Resources) at these companies. The sooner you target specific employers, the sooner you'll get to meet with them (yes, even if they claim they're not hiring.)

Sample: Professional Biography #1

Sample: Professional Biography #2

Your main goal is to systematically go after each company on your list (through networking) and meet with the hiring managers at those firms. Don't get distracted or sidetracked by other companies or easy-ins at companies that are not on your list. When the job market is tight and the headlines are screaming about dire economic conditions, it may be emotionally challenging to focus exclusively on your target list, but that's exactly how successful people get a job when no one's hiring. You'll then interview the representatives of these companies, and determine which organization you would like to hire as your new employer.

Here are Some Sources to Begin Researching Your Target Companies:

• Friends, family, colleagues, neighbors who might know the inside scoop at some of your target companies

• Networking to find current or past employees at your target companies, and hearing what the organization is like firsthand

• Fortune Magazine's list of 100 Great Places to Work in America, or www.greatplacetowork.com

• Business articles in your local daily newspaper's business section

• Your local edition of American City Business Journals' "Book of Lists" (www.bizjournals.com)

• Social networking media web sites that connect professionals, such as Linked In (www.linkedin.com)

• Your local Chambers of Commerce and trade associations, or industry organizations that your target companies may be a member of

• Target companies' web sites and downloadable annual reports

• Use Google (www.google.com) to do a search on the company or its top executives, and see what kinds of articles and stories come up

• Fee-based databases that you may access for free at your local public library, including Hoover's and Dun & Bradstreet's Million Dollar Database

• Other web resources, such as www.vault.com

By the time you're finished, you should be able to generate a very specific list of 35 to 50 target organizations, like the sample outline seen on page 71. Remember, these are the companies that seem to match the criteria you already developed in your Company Wish List.

Sample: Target Company List (Downloadable)