Don’t restrict your job hunt to only the companies you know

When I ask most of my mentees where they’d want to work, they say places such as: Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Apple, Johnson & Johnson, various banks, car companies, etc.  And there is always an underlying theme to them: they are consumer based companies (as in those that advertise and market to you, the consumer).  That’s not a bad thing of course, but I caution folks that those are probably the “tip of the iceberg” meaning that there are way more companies that you’ve never heard of that you could and probably should work for as well.

At the next level of consumer products, you might know some of the companies that are behind many of the brands you know.  Johnson & Johnson (manufacturers of Band-Aids and Tylenol), Proctor and Gamble (the makers of Crest toothpaste and Tide detergent), Kimberly Clark (of kleenex fame), etc. etc.

There are also, massive companies you’ve never heard of that supply to these consumer companies.  These commercial or otherwise non-consumer based companies stay relatively hidden unless you start working for a company that deals with one of these.  Companies like Celestica (and companies like them who make a lot of the chips and insides of the electronics you use), or Magna (who makes parts for many of the cars you drive), or Bombardier (who makes some of the planes, and trains you have previously rode on).

Also, there are companies behind the consumer based companies: like Yum! Brands that operate many of the fast food brands you’d be familiar with (Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut), or Brookfield properties (that manage many of the buildings that these companies would operate out of).

So broaden your search:

• take a look at who makes the brands you love so much as you might want to work for them
• find the suppliers to those brands as potential companies to work at
• Or look beyond other companies that make your favorite companies successful

and allow yourself to find those companies that you didn’t even know that you wanted to for!

ABOUT FOCUS inspired

We are career catalysts looking to initiate the reactions that would not have otherwise happened towards your career success. “Personal trainers for your career” helping you turn knowledge into results!