Researching the company, or doing your homework, is critical before any job interview. Potential employers will want to know what you know about their company.
Good job candidates do the basics by checking out the company website and gathering some basic information, but you can really stand out by going just a little further.
Related: How To Answer 5 Tricky Job Interview Questions
If you uncover as much as you can about the company before the interview, you’ll enjoy all kinds of benefits…you’ll answer interview questions more effectively, you’ll ask better questions, and you’ll demonstrate your intelligence and enthusiasm for the job. You need to do as much research as you can so you can create a 30-60-90-day plan, also.
Where should you go to research the company effectively besides the corporate website?
Google
Do a simple search to see if the company has been in the news or has put out any press releases. Do they have expansion plans? Are they cutting some divisions or areas from their main focus? Have they been mentioned in any blog articles?
LinkedIn
Many companies maintain LinkedIn pages that provide different information than you can find on the corporate website. You may be able to search through your groups to see if the company has been mentioned in any discussions. LinkedIn Pulse is also a place to find articles that may mention the company, industry trends, or upcoming events the company may be a part of. You can also check out the individual profiles of past and present employees looking for where they’ve worked in the past, what educational backgrounds or training they may have in common, and so on.
Facebook
Some companies also keep a Facebook page that’s more casual and gives you another perspective.
Twitter
Check out official company Tweets as well as those of employees. You never know what you’ll see.
Competitors
Do a little research on the company’s primary competitors to see how they contrast or compare to this company.
Ask Your Network
You can sometimes learn insider information by asking people in your network or your recruiter.
When they ask you in the interview, ‘What do you know about us?’ you can give a very impressive answer that includes their products or services, mission, place in the market and competition, and more.
You can say something like, “I know X, Y, and Z, and that’s why I am very excited about working here. I think I’m an especially good fit for you because of A, B, and C.” A, B, and C are what you’ve learned from your research. Now you’ve given them another reason to hire you.
You’ll also be able to answer their other interview questions with more effectiveness, too. For instance, if they ask you about your proudest accomplishment, you can choose an example that may fit their vision better than your ‘standard’ answer.
The questions you ask will be stronger questions that tell you much more about the company and your fit for it.
It’s worth it to prepare as thoroughly as you can for every interview. Download my free Job Interview PrepKit for a step-by-step plan to a great interview.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here.Photo Credit: Bigstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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