One of the strongest complaints about candidates for a job during a job interview is their lack of knowledge about the company. It amazes me that so many recruiters complain that the person being interviewed does not understand the business. A great way to be prepared is to utilize the 360 advantage by receiving one-on-one personalized job interview coaching.
I remember preparing my son, who is now a Vice President in a major financial firm, for one of his first interviews. We went into so much detail in this preparation to make sure that he understood the business the firm and the key issues. When he had the actual interview, he did so well that the firm decided to hire him for a more desirable position.
Preparation goes beyond just looking at the basic financials of the firm. It involves really understanding the key issues that the firm is challenged with. They expect you to carry on a knowledgeable conversation about the industry. They want you to be able to render an opinion about the issues. Most people are not able to do so, because they do inadequate preparation.
What are some of the sources of information? Clearly, there is plenty of public information, especially about large firms. Anything written by the company will be biased somewhat, but there are other objective sources. Read industry and news reports to round out some of the information.
Another useful tool is social networking. You should be able to find people who currently and who worked formerly at the firm through Linked In. If you do a ‘search by company’ you will get information on current and past employees of the firm. This is especially useful if the firm is private or little known in the general pubic. When you find these people ask your contacts to pass along a request to these individuals for you to have an informational interview.
By going out of your way to learn more about the industry and speak to people who are currently or formerly with the company, the recruiter will conclude that you are very interested in working for company and went out of your way and when beyond the usual approaches to research the company.
In my next entry, I will discuss what questions you should ask on an interview.
[...] do thorough research before a job interview. Amidst the research, be sure to look for the salary range and benefits the company is looking to [...]
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