Researching the Job Market
In our last job searching tip, I discussed ways of improving your resume. In that article, I pointed out how networking with other people can help you improve your resume. Once of the best sources of advice on improving your resume is from managers who are actually hiring people like you in your field. If you can network your way to meetings with these people, it can be beneficial not just for job leads but also for getting general advice about your career direction.
If you've ever been in a position of hiring employees for a company, you know that you don't look at just the skill set of the job candidate. You also look at other factors such as their personality - whether it will mesh with the corporate culture, and their familiarity with your industry and your business in particular. Hiring managers also look at how interested someone is in their company. A candidate who really wants to work for their company will often be considered more favorably than someone else.
Before going in to an interview with a company, do some research to find out things like:
1. Who the company's customers are
2. What seems to be the hardest part about attracting and retaining their customers
3. Who their competitors are
4. Why customers use them instead of competitors
5. Why employees work for them instead of competitors
If you know the answers to those questions before sitting down with any representatives at the company, you will be far more prepared than the average job seeker. You will be armed with information that will likely make the interviewer want to hire you instead of other candidates. Your knowledge and curiosity about these issues will cause you to come across as someone who's ambitious and a team player. Most interviewers want to hire candidates who are excited about the company, the industry and the special aspects about the corporate culture that make it appealing to certain kinds of people.
For example, at Microsoft, many people like working there because of the competitive environment and a culture that values intellect. If you come across in an interview with that company as someone who likes those things, you'll probably score extra points and be seen by the interviewer as someone who would fit in with the team.
One place to find out about companies is the Vault Reports website. To find out more about Vault Reports, please check out the review on our site at this address:
http://www.jobsearchinfo.com/vault.htm
Hoovers.com is also a good site for finding out more about a company, as are other financial reporting sites like Yahoo Finance which lets you look up information on public companies.
Unfortunately, however, there are times when showing ambition on a job interview can hurt you. Watch out for situations where an unproven or burnt-out manager interviews you for a job that could put you in a position to replace them. If the insecure manager interviews you *after* at least one other person as interviewed you, it's ok to come across as ambitious because the insecure manager wouldn't want to be perceived as blocking talented candidates. But if an insecure manager is acting as a "gatekeeper" to the company and could prevent you from being considered by the final decision maker, it's better to come off as competent but not ambitious so you don't seem threatening to their position.
About the Author
Scott Brown is the author of the Job Search Handbook (http://www.JobSearchHandbook.com). As editor of the HireSites.com weekly newsletter on job searching, Scott has written many articles on the subject. He wrote the Job Search Handbook to provide job seekers with a complete yet easy to use guide to finding a job effectively.