Welcome back to Part Two of Doing your Homework – Job Search Interviewer Research ! Today we will discuss interviewer research and why it is imperative to do this before your interview.
In Part One we explored company research. There are many different questions you can expect to be asked during an interview. You might be asked why you are interested in working for this company? The information is right in front of you and as a candidate you need to do your due diligence. Adding to this note, there is interviewer research. This is where you take the time to research the interviewer and give yourself a sense of who you are meeting with before the interview. Below is a guideline on how and why job search interviewer research should be part of your interview prep…
Before an interview you are often given information on who you will be meeting with. You may be given just a name, or name and a title. A title makes your job in researching much simpler. However, sometimes it is not that easy and this is when we commission the help of the internet! There are many different ways of finding out information on your interviewer, below are a few ways you can search the internet and conduct job search interviewer research:
- LinkedIn – By now you should have a LinkedIn account! Search for the interviewer’s name in LinkedIn with the company name. If you are lucky you will have a first and a last name. If you only have a first name, not to worry, adding the company name should narrow down the search. LinkedIn is the best way to find out who you are interviewing with. Typically the hiring manager will have a summary of themselves on LinkedIn where you can learn a bit about their background and role. If you are unable to locate the interviewer on LinkedIn there are other options to find them.
- Company Website – Depending on the size of the organization you may be able to find information about your interviewer on the company website. You may find a profile of the hiring manager that offers a bit of insight on how they contribute to the organization. However, if the organization is large it may not be possible to find them on the website.
- Search Engine – If you are unable to locate the interviewer on LinkedIn or the company website you can attempt to find the them with an internet search of their name and company. If the interviewer contributes to a company blog, charities or has a company profile set up somewhere else the search engine will pick it up.
- Your Network – Don’t forget to use your network of people you know. You may have a friend, or friend of a friend who works for the company. Use your network to find out information about the hiring manager.
You may be wondering why you should conduct job search interviewer research? When you take a moment to learn more about who you are meeting with you are offering yourself a sense of ease. It’s almost like a blind date except it’s a blind interview, you don’t know what to expect. If you do your due diligence you will learn things like what position the interviewer holds and how does the interviewer contribute to the organization? You can also find out interesting facts about your interviewer, such as if they participate in charity events or they went to the same post-graduate school as you. Alternatively, you could end up face to face with the President of the company during an interview. Take the opportunity to research your interviewer so you can walk in knowing who you are meeting with, what they do and how significant they are to the organization. Your preparation will not only impress your potential employer but will give you a better chance at landing the opportunity.
Read more about Doing Your Homework – Job Search in part one of this blog on Company Research.
