To stand out in your job search, you'll need to develop an overall business understanding of the industry, type of business, and workplace you're applying to. Here, you can find tips for how to see yourself as part of the workplace that you're applying to.
There's a difference between the National Museum and the Esbjerg Art Museum, and between DR and Zetland. It's a good idea to be certain of what makes the particular workplace you're applying to unique, compared to other workplaces in the same industry.
One way you can do this is to look more closely into the organisation's or business's strategy and position on the market. For example, Irma, Aldi, and Skagenfood all sell groceries, but each one has its own clientèle, brand, and marketing.
Brainstorming questions for specific workplaces
- How does this business compare to the rest of the industry? Is it growing? Declining?
- How does it distinguish itself from others? Placement? Brand? Media coverage?
- What potential does it have?
- How does it define itself? Is it a start-up, or is it established? Does the organisation describe itself as experimental, or does it have a zero-defect culture?
- What kind of employee profile does it have? What are their skills and educational backgrounds? Is it homogeneous or heterogeneous in terms of age, level of education, and ethnicity?
Where can you find answers?
Other places you can get inspired to seek out knowledge about an industry, business, product, or customers include:
- Industry associations
- The five largest (best-known) businesses' websites; look for (e.g.) their strategies, visions, areas of business, financial statements, and press releases
- LinkedIn; employees in the industry and business pages
- Media; in particular, read the business/finance pages of daily papers, weekly newsletters, and emails
- Hear personal stories from your network
Know the industry you're applying to
To stand our in your job search, you'll need an overall business understanding. That requires knowledge of the industry, the type of organisation or business, and the particular workplace in question.
Read how to learn more about the industry you want to work in.
