Having not done the basic research beforehand,
should a call come through for an initial phone screen,
you are caught dead in the water if you don't even have
any basic knowledge about either the company or the job
opportunity. Not only do you look foolish, you're now
toast. You've just been ruled out of contention after a
5-minute phone call and your resume has just been thrown
on the reject pile as the interviewer moves on the next
candidate to call. Why is this? Because in today's
employment market, it's very much a "buyer's
market". Far too many candidates for far too few
positions as employers are more picky than ever
before. |
Here's an example from my own career: Many years ago I was working for a large pharmaceutical company as a territory rep and was desiring a change to a more dynamic company when, after a few months of being "available", I had an opportunity to interview with a company I knew little about. I met with them and let myself get caught up in the excitement of change and ignored the nagging doubts that told me the job responsibilities were not right for me. I accepted the job offer, and spent most of the next 11 months hating my new job looking for a way out. It was a great company, too. However, the job itself was a bad fit with my personality and there was no changing or glossing over this fact. I knew this AFTER I started interviewing, but I found it hard to say no. If I had done my research ahead of time, I would never have considered this opportunity and could have saved myself the anguish of a job that was a bad fit plus having to start a new job search all over again. Lesson: Research BEFORE you leap when you're calm and rational and can focus your time and energy on those specific companies and opportunities where you'll feel more of a fit at the beginning of your search. This may mean you rule out job opportunities with solid companies if the fit is not there for you. |
You should answer these basic questions:
How large is the
company?
What products/services do they
offer?
Who are their competitors?
Where do they rank in their
market?
What is their financial
situation?
Can I do this
job?
The advantages of knowing this information up front, puts you in a power position when you DO receive a call from an employer. You're now in a position to talk intelligently about the company, their opportunity, their products, etc and use this information to generate a knowledgeable conversation with your caller. This signifies interest and gets you to the next stage: a more in-depth phone screen or a face-to-face interview.
Here are some resources to get this information:
Corporate Website (see also their Press
Release section)
Hoovers™, Thomasnet™,
EBSCO.
The Reference Section of your local
public library.
Standard &
Poors.
The Business Journal, local
trade or business papers (see your library).
Talk with people (social software,
network).
Be up to speed on a company before you even send your resume. Find out earlier rather than later whether you would actually like to work for a particular company. It can make all the difference if you do the legwork up front rather than leaving it to chance late in the interview stage.
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Here's a Shocker…
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Find out how you can stop playing the game of "resume roulette" and start making a serious move toward finding that "right" job. Click here to learn more.
Job Search Blog:
Have you checked out the Job Search Guy
Blog? You can get the latest
tips, tricks and techniques to
win your dream job presented by Joe Turner, the "Job Search
Guy". Also, find out what
others are doing and saying about how to succeed in today's
job search scene. Do you have a job search or
interviewing question? Post it here. Click Here for the Job Search
Guy Blog.
Have a Killer Job Search!!
Best Regards,
Joe Turner
"My Goal is Getting You Hired
Faster"
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