Not every career field rewards its ’stars’ with the level of recognition of the Academy Awards ceremony. If you want to be the best in your field and be recognized by your peers, your job search should lead you to the organizations who are ‘world class’. If you believe regular feedback is critical to your success, narrow your search to employers who are known for frequent evaluations and celebration of achievement.

How employers and professions recognize accomplishments are indicators of a culture placing high value on its’ employees. If this is your preference, there are some resources to help you learn more about organization culture. Each year Fortune Magazine publishes ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’. This article, published in February provides a summary of each company including their size, average annual salary and benefits. This year the listing also highlighted the companies in the top 100 who are hiring.  Fast Company magazine published a list of ‘The World’s Most Innovative Companies’ in the March 2009 issue.This list evaluates employers on innovative ideas and creative execution. In September, Business Week published ‘The Best Places to Launch a Career’, a listing of 50 companies hiring entry level employees. Similar to the Fortune article, this listing provides some insight on how students, employers and university career offices compare employers. Computerworld offered its’ top ‘100 Best Places to Work in IT’ list in June with data on who is best at retention, training, diversity and career development. Working Mother magazine has published their list of ‘100 Best Places to Work’ for fifteen years. This survey looks at actual budget allocated for work/life programs, on-site day care and policies in place to support the advancement of women. The site includes additional lists on ‘Best Companies for Multicultural Women’, ‘The Best Green Companies’ and the ‘Best Law Firms for Women’.

Take a few minutes to review these lists. The data will help you establish ‘values’ benchmarks. A large part of your success in the workplace depends on your ‘fit’ with your peers and the culture. If you want that Oscar, start acting, directing, animating and producing. If you value recognition and cannot act, direct, animate or produce, find a place that retains its’ employees, provides training, budgets for work/life programs and connects you with a mentor.

Looking for work is not just about becoming expert in your field. You must also demonstrate an understanding of global issues. You have to be clear on where you want to be in five years and how this job will help you acquire the skills to get there. And you have to be clear on your definition of success or you won’t know it when you see it.

At this point you may be so focused on the economy and who will employ you that you may have neglected an aspect of your research that is not directly related to your job search. Here are my ‘cliff notes’ suggestions for catching up.

There are three authors whose name you should know: Thomas Friedman, Malcolm Gladwell and Po Bronson. The first two are authors with books on the NY Times bestseller list, ranked number nine and one respectively. The third is the author of an article included in the January issue of Fast Company magazine.

Let’s start with the issues around globalization and the environment. Thomas Friedman who writes a regular Op Ed column in the NY Times has written a book, ‘Hot, Flat and Crowded’. His main premise is that the United States in a unique position to recapture a role of global leadership by taking the lead on conservation issues. Take some time to read his article, ‘The Power of Green’ in the NY Times Magazine and you will be able to have a lively conversation on the issue with a potential employer.

Malcolm Gladwell is a name you may find familiar with his previous books, ‘The Tipping Point’ and ‘Blink’. Last month his new book ‘Outliers’ was published. In it, as in previous books, Gladwell takes complex academic research and translates it using anecdotes in this case, to help us understand why some people may be at an unfair advantage to succeed. In a November article for NY Magazine, ‘Geek Pop Star’, author Jason Zengerie summarizes the main points of the article , including the 10,000 hour rule.

Finally, Po Bronson, who wrote the bestselling ‘What Should I Do With My Life?’ in 2001, updates his concepts in a new article; ‘What Should I Do With My Life, Now?’ He challenges some popular myths of the downturn in the economy and challenges the job seeker to think about the future vs. what you are doing now.

Finding a job is more than a match of resume to job description. It is connecting on a variety of levels with the people who will make the hiring decision. Broaden your knowledge base and you will be more confident in your communication and a more competitive candidate in your job search.