Do your research to find good small companies

Q: How do I find good small companies to work for? Much of my career has been spent in Fortune 500 companies in several big cities. Now it's time to make a change, but I'm interested in working for a small local company. The real challenge seems to be finding that small company. How should I proceed?

Nick's reply: There are a lot more small companies out there than there are big ones. While many don't spend to advertise jobs, you will find them in the business-news pages of local newspapers. Pay attention in restaurants and while standing in line at the movies. You will overhear talk about small companies because that's where most people work. You will quickly start noticing them.

Keep a notebook in your pocket and list all the companies you encounter whose names you don't recognize. Don't worry about whether you want to work for them. When you've got a dozen (this won't take long), track them all down. Research them online through the business and industry press, and you'll start finding the names of people who work there. Then call those people and ask for details about what they do.

Don't start by saying you're looking for work. Just ask how a product works, why it's the best, and for new ways to use it. Ask for literature, articles and customer success stories. You're not only getting the inside story, you're also learning whether a company might be right for you.

Small companies will refer you to one another. While one may not be your perfect cup of tea, its president (or receptionist) may introduce you to another that is. This chain of connections is how they do business with one another, and it's a great way for you to navigate through the small-company community. It's also a very good way to vet each company, by asking others about its reputation.

Does this seem too simple and obvious? It is — that's why so few people do it. And that's why you'll face less competition when you finally pick a company and pursue it through those contacts you've made.

The headhunter tip:

Don't conduct junk interviews

There are two kinds of interview questions: legitimate and junk. Employers ask too many junk questions.

Legitimate questions are about the candidate's ability to do the work. Ask these first to determine whether the interview should continue. Junk questions are ones managers ask because the personnel department said to or because they're popular.

Legitimate questions let you shorten interviews because you will quickly learn that most candidates are incapable of doing the work. If a candidate proves she can do the work, then you can ask where she sees herself in five years, or what animal or celebrity she'd like to be.

Some questions may be clever, but if they're not about the work, put them aside until you've determined the candidate can do the job. Don't waste your time or the candidate's. Review your list of questions: What's legitimate and what's junk?

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.