Create a company list

Working effectively with research is an important part of your job search. But just as important as finding relevant companies is having a place to collect all the information. This is where the company list comes in.

The purpose of a company list is that you become far more effective in your contact with companies. By creating an overview and structure once and for all, you always know who you have contacted, what has been agreed, and when you need to follow up.

What is a company list?

A company list is simply a document where you collect all the companies you are considering contacting – whether they have a current job posting or not.

We recommend using a spreadsheet like Excel or Google Sheets. This allows you to:

• Note information in multiple columns (company, contact person, status, etc.)
• Have space for comments for each contact
• Sort and filter
• Use colours to mark status

Why is it so important?

With a company list you get:

• Overview: You always know who you have contacted and what has been agreed
• Planning: You can note when you need to follow up
• Motivation: You can see that you are actually doing something – and measure your effort
• Volume: You always have multiple contact opportunities ready

The list also becomes a planning tool. You can note who you have contacted, when you need to follow up, and what you have promised.

What should the list contain?

At minimum, your company list should have columns for:

• Company name
• Industry/type
• Contact person (name, email, phone)
• Status (green/yellow/red – see below)
• Date of last contact
• Next action (when should you follow up?)
• Notes (what was agreed? what did they say?)

Use colours for status

We recommend using colours to mark the status of your contacts:

• Green: You have contacted the company and possibly sent your CV
• Yellow: Action required – you are awaiting a response or need to follow up
• Red: The company is not interested right now – return later

With colour marking, you can quickly see where you need to take action – and who you should return to at a later time.

Start with 20-40 companies

We recommend that you build a company list with approximately 20-40 companies from the start.

Why?

• You risk losing courage if you only have a few contacts and receive rejections
• With many contacts, you can start several processes before you receive responses
• It gives you volume behind your company contact – and this increases your chances

Set aside time for research each week

Research is not something you do once. It should be a regular habit in your job search.

Set aside time each week to:

• Find new companies
• Update your list with new contacts
• Note information from networking events, job fairs, etc.

This ensures that your company list grows continuously with more relevant contacts.

Where do you find companies?

There are many sources for finding relevant companies:

• Job portals: Jobindex, Jobnet, LinkedIn Jobs – also archived postings
• LinkedIn: Search for managers, colleagues, former students
• Proff.dk: Search by industry, size, geography
• Google: Search for industries and geographical areas
• Networking events: Save contact cards
• Job fairs: Note companies you meet
• Expired job postings: The company is still relevant!

In the following guides in this module, we show you exactly how to use each of these sources.

Unsolicited contact

An important purpose of the company list is to support unsolicited contact.

The companies on your list do not need to have a current job posting. They are still relevant to you – and you can benefit from contacting them to explore opportunities.

The company list becomes your starting point for the unsolicited job search strategy.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Not having a list: Information is scattered and forgotten
• Starting with too few: You lose courage at the first rejection
• Not updating: The list must be kept current
• Forgetting follow-up: Always note when you need to follow up
• Only saving companies with postings: Companies without postings are also relevant

Practical tips

• Use Excel, Google Sheets, or a similar tool
• Create columns for all the information you need
• Use colours for status
• Set aside time for research each week
• Start with 20-40 companies
• Note everything – also contacts from networking and job fairs

Try it yourself

1. Create a spreadsheet (Excel or Google Sheets)
2. Make columns for: Company, Industry, Contact Person, Email, Phone, Status, Date, Next Action, Notes
3. Find 10 companies you would like to contact – and add them
4. Mark them all as "yellow" (to be contacted)

You now have the beginning of your company list!

Frequently asked questions

Next step

Now you have a system to collect your contacts. But where do you find the companies that should be on the list? In the next guide, you will learn to find companies on job portals – including those that don't have current postings.