It’s a numbers game just as much as it is about providing value; though you can have one lean more over the other in a given ratio, I say to do both with high intensity. Definitely deliver high quality value about yourself, but also increase your odds by targeting multiple companies. The more you target, the more chances you have.

The average goal of the clients I’ve worked with was to get about 20% return on number interviews and about 20% to 50% of the interviews to land actual job offers. So if you’re going to put 40 companies on your list, then you’re shooting for about 8 full interviews and 2 to 4 offers. Sounds easy just laying out the numbers like that, but there’s some homework on your part for sure. I would say increase your chances and target 50 companies instead. Why not?

Now, for the companies, the bottom line is that you need to focus in on the companies that fit your vision. You want to understand their culture, and let it be a company that you chose to work for because you were in the driver’s seat, and not because there was an open position.

If all we did was apply for open positions without considering our strengths, then we lose near 70% to 80% of the time. To which explains the reason why most of nation’s workers hate their jobs, and thus do very mediocre work. We need to be intentional about what we want.

Be sure to use you city’s directory, the World Wide Web, Hoovers, the Chamber of Commerce directory, an industry guide such as http://referenceusa.com/ (You can get access through your local library. Most libraries will have both local and national search tools for selecting companies based on your search criteria.) But there are many ways to research a given company. It’s even better if you know someone who works there, someone who can given you insight or educate you about the opportunities present, or who can basically vouch for your expertise and get you to the right people.

Things to keep in mind when researching your company:

1. You are competing against nearly 70 to 100 people on average when you apply for that position, but you may only have 2 – 3 competitors, sometimes zero, when you’re using this new method.
2. Waiting for a position to be advertised or until someone tells you there is an opening is no longer necessary.
3. When you see an ad for a particular position, you’ve already lost your window of opportunity.
4. This method will help you close in on close to 90% of the jobs that are never advertised.

Rule of thumb; the ball is in your court, not the company. The company has their vision, and you have yours. Now, it’s about connecting with that company and deciding whether or not you both have mutual benefits in your visions.