ALERT JOB SEARCHERS: Research just got a whole lot easier for free!
I've told you never to approach a company without a firm understanding of why you're approaching them, based upon extensive research you conduct on your target companies.
Toward that aim, we've used a variety of free and proprietary databases, but the best ones are very expensive. Not anymore.
Meet Tracked.com
Tracked.com launched today, and I am impressed. In the past, I was a buyer of information services, and I have reviewed hundreds of companies who offer less than this at premium prices.
From company breaking news, extensive bios, and customized watchlists, Tracked goes one step further than "old school" databases, and makes it social; profiles, 140 character messages, connections, groups and more.
Go get an account - understand they are in Beta, and will be improving and adding features as they go forward, and at times the server may slow a bit, but jump in now. Visit the "Tour" link for great walk-throughs, and their youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/RakedInsights is chock-full of good demos.
Next, Connect to me @ http://www.tracked.com/user/OPCGal to start your connection list.
Then research your target list! Using Tracked.com in combination with other search tools will absolutely prove valuable to you in your job search and interviews.
A note to users regarding record accuracy: ALL research databases are only as good as the information that is confirmed by principals in the company, and data is generally updated on a rotating basis. Ideally, data should not be modified based upon anything other than a company authorized principal confirming the modification. All databases - Hoovers, OneSource, D&B, etc. will have inaccuracies even in their premium pay subscriptions - it's the nature of the beast as people move on to new roles & companies and it may take a bit for the updates to be confirmed, so double-check, and expect occasional discrepancies.
from Miles Lennon of Tracked.com: "We spend many cycles on creating new ways to curate data both algorithmically and manually. Although we're striving for near-perfect accuracy, we understand that sometimes incorrectly reported data will hit the site. That is the nature of the beast, but it's one of the many reasons this project is so intellectually stimulating."
And, folks, this company just launched and I heard from the support team immediately! Within ten minutes of my inquiry, I had a response. Outstanding!
I'm a fan! Can you tell?
Posts
Interesting, Karen. I wonder why this database would excel at pre-interview research over the usual method of searching through Google, Wikipedia, & LinkedIn? Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteHi Roland, for the very point you make; rather than use several sources and try to gather data together, this gives you a dashboard to not only research, but to add to a watchlist, keep organized, and set alerts. One app instead of several.
ReplyDeleteI research every day for clients, and digging deeper on private companies is always a challenge. I am using this in conjuction with LinkedIn and am very pleased. I was using a private label database for research, and the cost saving is tremendous. from SEC filings, EDGAR reports, to corporate bios, plus the social aspect, it gives smart job seekers a real edge.
Stop by again!
Karen