Taking time to familiarize yourself with an employer before you meet with them is your first responsibility as a potential candidate. Show your interviewers that you’re serious, dedicated, and interested in what they’re doing by reading up on them and developing some questions beforehand.
Be prepared by researching these five things before your next job interview.
1) The person interviewing you.
Jobs are just as much about people and your connections with them as they are about skill and experience. If you receive the names of the individuals interviewing you prior to the meeting, make an effort to learn something about them before you arrive. If you don’t have the exact names, do a search on the company’s website to see if you can find out who is in charge of the department you’re interviewing with. You may be able to take an educated guess from there as to who you may be meeting with.
2) Recent news and updates.
Are there any current projects, announcements, or other news items that you’re interested in and would like to discuss? Demonstrating your knowledge of the company’s most recent affairs shows you did your homework. You don’t need to be able to talk about everything the company is doing (you’re at the interview to learn!), but being able to talk about a few of their recent endeavors can come in handy.
3) Competitors.
Learn more about the industry and the company’s position in the industry by researching likely competitors. What makes the company you’re interviewing for different, special, or better? Can you articulate those differences in your meeting? Being educated in how a company is doing things differently is a great point of emphasis in your interview, particularly if the interviewer asks what attracted you to the company.
4) The leadership team.
It doesn’t hurt to have an idea of who’s in charge of the company, what they do, and what they’re known for so that during the interview you have a sense of who is being discussed, who your boss may be, and so on.
5) Yourself.
Don’t leave ‘you’ out of the equation! Be sure to take time pre-interview to develop a list of questions or topics you’d like to discuss. What are you most interested in learning more about? What questions do you need answers to? Demonstrate your interest by listening carefully and asking thoughtful questions.
The more you know about a company, the better prepared you will be to answer questions and the better impression you’ll leave with those interviewing you. Do your due diligence and properly prepare for your next interview. There is no such thing as being too prepared for a job interview or too knowledgeable about a prospective employer!
Taking time to familiarize yourself with an employer before you meet with them is your first responsibility as a potential candidate. Show your interviewers that you’re serious, dedicated, and interested in what they’re doing by reading up on them and developing some questions beforehand.
Be prepared by researching these five things before your next job interview.
1) The person interviewing you.
Jobs are just as much about people and your connections with them as they are about skill and experience. If you receive the names of the individuals interviewing you prior to the meeting, make an effort to learn something about them before you arrive. If you don’t have the exact names, do a search on the company’s website to see if you can find out who is in charge of the department you’re interviewing with. You may be able to take an educated guess from there as to who you may be meeting with.
2) Recent news and updates.
Are there any current projects, announcements, or other news items that you’re interested in and would like to discuss? Demonstrating your knowledge of the company’s most recent affairs shows you did your homework. You don’t need to be able to talk about everything the company is doing (you’re at the interview to learn!), but being able to talk about a few of their recent endeavors can come in handy.
3) Competitors.
Learn more about the industry and the company’s position in the industry by researching likely competitors. What makes the company you’re interviewing for different, special, or better? Can you articulate those differences in your meeting? Being educated in how a company is doing things differently is a great point of emphasis in your interview, particularly if the interviewer asks what attracted you to the company.
4) The leadership team.
It doesn’t hurt to have an idea of who’s in charge of the company, what they do, and what they’re known for so that during the interview you have a sense of who is being discussed, who your boss may be, and so on.
5) Yourself.
Don’t leave ‘you’ out of the equation! Be sure to take time pre-interview to develop a list of questions or topics you’d like to discuss. What are you most interested in learning more about? What questions do you need answers to? Demonstrate your interest by listening carefully and asking thoughtful questions.
The more you know about a company, the better prepared you will be to answer questions and the better impression you’ll leave with those interviewing you. Do your due diligence and properly prepare for your next interview. There is no such thing as being too prepared for a job interview or too knowledgeable about a prospective employer!
