How To Connect With Potential Employers During Your Job Search

1. Find Information About The Company

If you're not totally excited about the company you're hoping to get hired at, then it's possible you just don't know enough about them (or maybe they don't belong on your interview bucket list). Before writing a cover letter, and especially before going in for an interview, you should always check out the company's website.

Also, go to Glassdoor.com to see what past and current employees have to say about the company, and take a peek at their social media accounts. By doing this, you'll get a better sense of their company culture and how they get involved in their community.

2. Reach Out To Current Employees

Reaching out to the current employees of a company is the most direct way to form a connection with a potential employer. This is where LinkedIn comes in handy.

You should start a chat with current employees on LinkedIn to get an inside scoop on what it's like to work at the company. And once you've connected with a person at the company on LinkedIn, you'll feel a connection to the company itself by default.

3. Research The Company's Values & Beliefs

A company's core values and beliefs can greatly impact how passionate its employees are about their work. That's why it's important for you to know whether your personal values and beliefs align with the companies you're hoping to get hired at.

In other words, would you be a good cultural fit?

This question is as important to you as it is to the potential employer.

While researching the company, before you write your cover letter or go in for an interview, you should try to find information on its values and beliefs as an organization. Maybe once a month the company volunteers in the community. Maybe a percentage of their profits go to causes you support. Maybe they're dedicated to environmental sustainability in all areas of their business. Whatever the company's specific values and beliefs are, they're perfect opportunities for you to connect with them.

4. Create A Connection Story

After you do all of the above, you should have an excellent idea of what the company does, who they are, and what they stand for. Now, it's time for you to create a connection story to tell in your cover letter and in your interview.

Start by answering this question: Did something happen to you that made you respect, appreciate, or admire what the company does?

You could be a loyal customer of this company or a good friend of an employee. But if you didn't already have that connection to the company or that passion for what they do, you have it now from your research and your conversations with current employees.

In your cover letter and in your job interview, talk about how you were, or are, affected by the products and services the company provides.

To create a connection story that will stand out to employers, you need to connect your personal story to the company's mission. If you do this, you'll write a disruptive cover letterand be memorable in your interview.

We hope these tips will help you connect with any potential employer you come across during your job search. You'll probably become passionate about a company or employment opportunity you never considered before...it may just take a little research.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.