When it comes time for an interview, you can make a great impression with a little research about the company and competition.
Here are some things that can help with your research:
Visit the company website. This might seem like an obvious tip, but I’m surprised by how many people don’t check it out. Or they do, but other than looking around, they don’t retain much information about the company. Look for the mission or vision statement. Look for the values. Look for an indication about the culture or the kind of people who work there. Before you go on the interview make sure you see alignment between your goals and that of the company. The same goes for your values.
Check out the Alexa rating (www.alexa.com) of the website. How much traffic the website gets will tell you about the health of the business. Check out the ratings of the competition too.
Check out the LinkedIn profile for the person you are interviewing with. Look for people you may both know, places where your careers crossed paths and similar interests. Visiting the company LinkedIn page will help you identify people in your network who work for or know people who work for the company. You can also check out Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to learn more about the products or services and the company culture.
Research the competitors. It can be helpful to know the competitive landscape and direct threats from competitors. People who take the time to learn about competitors generally have a better understanding of the challenges the business faces.
Try out the product or service if it makes sense. Companies, and interviewers in particular, like to hear from people who have given the products a try and who share their thoughts about the good parts and the not so good parts. Sharing ideas for how you would improve the product will demonstrate some of your skills. Relate your experience as a consumer to what you could do in your role.
Last, but not in any way least, prepare your own questions. Don’t let the interview be one sided when it comes to questions. Collect your thoughts and form questions you would like to have answered. It is important to share your concerns too. For instance, sharing that you have experience in traditional marketing but not in online marketing and asking how the company can help you get up to speed will put your mind at ease.
Tags: jobs
Jorden Bartlett is an unlikely Human Resources professional. She is an introvert with a knack for bending the rules. Jorden has both the CHRP and PHR making her an ideal cross-border shopper. She has had the good fortune of spending time with organizations of all sized including Praxair, Shred-it, John Deere, TWD Technologies and Fusenet. Jorden is currently the HR Director for Fusenet and is turning everything she knows about HR upside down.
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