Employer Research: Do Your
Homework Before the Interview
By Marlon Doles
 Researching potential employers before interviewing
with them has always been an important if difficult part of the
successful job search. However, resources used to research companies
have been enhanced significantly during the past decade. Long gone are
the days when you walked into your career center library and searched
for the huge three ring binder of out-of-date material on the company
with which you would be interviewing the next day. With the emergence of
new technology and all types of search mechanisms, a job candidate
doesn’t even have to leave home to conduct thorough research on a
company.
Why is research important?
Before attending an interview, researching the
company as completely and accurately as possible will allow you to field
without hesitation any questions the interviewer might throw at you. It
will also demonstrate to the interviewer that you are smart and thorough
in your research process. Also, you will be able to ask questions about
the organization in an informed way, which allows for a more relaxed,
conversational type of interview rather than simply a questionand-
answer type that doesn’t set you apart from any other quality
candidates.
At some point, interviewers typically ask the
question, “Why would you like to work for this company?” These types of
general and open-ended questions are used to see if you’re worthy of
continuing the interview.
If you don’t have a response or your response is
ineffective, such as, “Because it’s a great company,” you’re in trouble
before the interview has really started. A great company already knows
it’s great. Interviewers want to know specifically why you want to work
for such a great company.
Here’s where conducting company research before
your interview pays off the most: You can step up to the challenge and
answer such questions confidently and intelligently. At minimum, know
what a company’s products and services are, why they interest you, and
how you can help support them.
What do you need to know?
Employment is a two-way street. Make sure the
company is one in which you want to work, and you’ll be well prepared to
answer such questions. Find out everything you can about the company,
including the following:
Naturally, you may ask about some of these topics
during interviews. But it’s a good idea to find out all you can
beforehand to help you formulate specific questions and answers, and
show that you’ve done your homework.
Where will you find the details?
If you’re a college student or recent graduate,
check with the career center at your school. Many still maintain
libraries of company research resources like brochures, annual reports,
recruiter information, newsletters, etc. Public libraries stock research
resources, too, such as the Thomas Register of American Manufacturers,
the Vault College Career Bible, and other books about industries
and careers. If you don’t know where to look, just ask a librarian or
career services professional for help.
The Web is also an excellent place to conduct
company research. Employers know that candidates visit their websites
for exactly that reason. Even if companies don’t post information
specifically for job seekers, most provide information for customers or
the media that is also useful in job interviews. Pay close attention to
areas of the site labeled investor relations, careers, diversity and
community outreach. These areas tend to give you the best information on
the company and what it’s like to work there. Study this information and
any description of the job for which you are applying.
Other websites like Hoovers.com or
Vault.com and search engines like Google and Yahoo! all prove very
valuable when researching companies online. The Web can be a source of
balanced research on your future employers.
Also very popular as research tools these days are
magazines, periodicals and other publications such as Fortune,
Forbes, Black Enterprise, BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, Jungle
Media, Hispanic Business, Working Mother, and the list goes on and
on. Through their many best-of and worst-of lists and other featured
articles, all of these publications will provide you with current
research on companies.
It’s also important to watch where companies are
advertising and branding themselves. By noting the types of magazines or
other media outlets a company advertises with regularly, you can
determine the organization’s target market strategy from recruitment,
product, and services points of view. Using these research sources will
also help you determine the company’s value proposition (what makes that
company special to its customers and differentiates it from its
competitors), or assess why people want to work at that particular
company.
One of the best but largely overlooked places to
conduct company research is within the company itself, right at the
source. It doesn’t hurt to contact the human resources department of the
company for which you have an upcoming interview, ask for a recruiter,
and inquire about company literature such as product brochures, job
descriptions and new-hire orientation packets. They may be impressed
that you took the time to call and seek out this information.
If you’re a college student or recent graduate,
it’s also not uncommon to look up alumni who currently work for the
company or may have worked there in the past. These are always great
sources of information on the inner workings of your potential employer.
Lastly, if you really want to scope out the company
thoroughly, request a copy of its annual report, and research it from an
investor’s point of view. After all, if you wouldn’t risk your money in
a company, would you want to risk your career?
At Campbell Soup
Co., Mr. Doles is Senior Human Resource Manager, Global College and
Diversity Programs. |
