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What you Need to Know
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Employer Research Checklist - What you Need to Know and How to Use it in Preparing for Job Interviews
- Company size - in terms of employees, locations and assets. This will help determine criteria such as your growth prospects at the company, promotion possibilities and company stability.
- Length of time the company has been established - this helps establish company reputation and possible job security.
- Company's products and services - prepare interview answers that are relevant to the company requirements. Interviewers often ask the question, “What do you know about this company?” If you don’t have a good and effective response, something more comprehensive than, "I know you are an excellent company,” you will come across as unprepared and uninformed. Provide a detailed answer that shows you have done your homework and impress the interviewer.
Typically you will be asked the interview question "Why do you want to work for this company?" Vague and general responses such as "Because you are a market leader" are inadequate. Interviewers want to know specifically why you want to work for their company. Answer intelligently and confidently by highlighting why the company's products and services interest you and how you can contribute to them. - Target market, market share and main competitors - when preparing for interviews you need to know the role the company plays in the marketplace. Develop some powerful questions around this information to ask at the interview. For example, "I noted on the website that the company is currently enjoying a 12 percent market share. Where do you see this company in a year's time?"
- Company mission, vision and value statements - how does this organization view itself? Use this information to customize your interview answers about why you are a suitable candidate and why you want to work for this company. Demonstrate a fit with the company culture.
- Current special projects, new developments and events - go to the News or What's New buttons to research this information. Are there any new areas or projects which you can specifically contribute to? A typical interview question is "How can you contribute to our company?". Use your research to demonstrate how you can add value to the company.
- Strategic goals and plans - align your interview answers to questions such as "What will you bring to this organization?" to meet the strategic needs of the organization. When preparing for interviews, use this information to prepare some insightful questions to ask such as "I read on the company website that your company is planning to move into new markets this year. How will the successful candidate contribute to this plan?" What are the main challenges facing the company? How can you help in meeting these challenges? Make your "strengths' relevant to this.
- Financial status -awareness of the financial position of a company is important when you come to deciding on the job offer. Knowing in which direction the company is going is key to your decision
- Organizational structure - this helps you to see where the position you are interviewing for fits in. It also indicates any possible career paths and advancement opportunities.
- Community involvement - what social responsibility does the company demonstrate? How do your interests align with the company's community involvement projects? Refer to this when asked why you want to work for the company.
- Industry information - what are the current industry issues that impact on the company? How do they influence the position you are interviewing for? Prepare a question around this to ask in the interview.
- Any information on the person interviewing you - get the full name and job title and any biographical information. What is the interviewer's role within the company? This information can be used to develop a rapport-building opener such as, "Congratulations, I read that you received a promotion last month"
- Website layout - view the site as a whole. What clues does the site design give you about the company culture? Are they conservative, traditional or funky, creative and relaxed. The website often reflects the company's self image, however don't only rely on your site impressions.
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Show that you have done your homework. Refer to your research in your job interview. Take notes with you, keep them in your portfolio along with your prepared questions. Review them before your interview and feel confident that you are well informed about the company. Preparing for interviews in this way gives you the competitive edge and makes you a winner.
Conducting background research can also help you prepare the questions you want to ask in an informational interview. Use these guidelines to get the background details you need when preparing for interviews.
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