As we all know the interview stage is the most important stage when it comes to your job search. This is where you as the candidate get to be face-to-face with the employer. Doing job search company research will better prepare you for the interview.
There are many aspects to the interview where you will be tested on your knowledge and how much research you have done. Therefore, it is vital before you get into the hot seat that you are well prepared. Today, I will take you through Part One of Doing your Homework, which is job search company research.
As a diligent job seeker it is essential to thoroughly research the company’s website before the interview. There are three main aspects that need to be covered when you are conducting job search company research.
- You want to check their ‘About Us’ or ‘Overview’ page. This page will take you through the history of the company, when they started, who founded the company, why they are in existence and what they are doing presently. This area will also take you through the mission statement. The mission statement will show you the company’s goals and values. This will really give you an idea of what they’ve done and where they are headed. Be sure to be an active reader who is result driven. It is not enough to merely skim read it, try to see where you can see yourself fit in and do not be afraid to broach the topic during the interview. Your interviewers will be impressed that you took the time and effort to actually visit their website. Believe it or not most candidates do not do this step and consequentially do not stand out. But make sure that you do not bring it up where it is not appropriate. The best time to show your research might actually be at the end during the chance to ask questions.
- The next area you want to take a look at is their ‘Portfolio’, this maybe labeled differently depending on the company. Their portfolio will give you access to see the types of projects they have worked on, and what type of work they typically do. In the portfolio section, you may find out who their main customers are or which industry they serve the most.
- Lastly, take a look at the company’s corporate social responsibility section. Here you will learn about how they participate in voluntary activities to better the society.
An employer will often want find out what you know about them; specifically, what types of projects they’ve worked on, who their customers are and if you know about their corporate social responsibility policy. Be sure to explore anything outside of these three points too, it is important to go through areas of the website that are relevant and learn as much as you can. Employers are not looking to see whether or not you can memorize their website. They are looking to see if you are well prepared to answer those types of questions, and to see how much research you can do with limited resources because not all websites will give you all the information you need.
Taking the time to do job search company research will not only make you seem well informed, but it will show the employer the amount of interest you have and how dedicated you are to landing the opportunity. These are all positive qualities to have when interviewing. In Part Two of Doing your Homework, we will discuss researching the interviewers and why it is important to learn about who you are interviewing with before you meet them.
