Target market identification is a significant step for job search marketing and advertising purposes. It entails identifying potential companies who typically hire individuals with your skill set. These will be the potential companies you focus most of your job search efforts on. Likewise, this activity should distinguish you from the majority of your competitors who are applying to any company with a job opening.Target market identification, if done in an efficient manner, will assist you in defining your job search plan. Appropriate target market identification will help you plan your activities related to successfully concluding your job search. After you identify a list of targeted companies, you should identify former and current employees who have a common connection with you. A common connection could exist if you attended the same college or are a member of the same professional association. These will be the individuals you reach out to and request informational interviews. During the informational interview process, you would acquire information about the company, department of interest, ideal employee characteristics, your connections’ experience, and so on. Afterward you should have enough information to determine if these companies are indeed good matches for you.Typically job seekers develop a list of large companies for their target markets. It is also important to develop a targeted list of small to mid-sized companies as well. These companies may lack the resources to advertise jobs online and are having a tougher time finding and attracting top talent. Since this job market is crowded, job seekers who focus on these companies may have a leg up on the competition.Once you have narrowed your list of targeted companies from the research you conducted, it is time to identify the appropriate hiring managers. From your informational interviews you should have located a professional function and corresponding division of interest. Next, you need to identify the appropriate hiring manager for each company based on your experience level. A hiring manager typically is a person more senior to your potential boss and has hiring authority. These will be the individuals you contact for informational interviews or via direct mail and phone calls to inquire about any hidden opportunities.In conclusion, identification of your target market is important for successfully tapping into both the hidden and advertised job markets. It allows you to link your previous quantifiable accomplishments to the skills and competencies desired by potential employers. As a result, you increase your chances of landing jobs during the toughest job market in some time.