Job Interviews -- What Your Pre-Interview Research Should Cover
When you go in for a job interview, you're not just a candidate
seeking a job. You're a potential problem solver and
contributor. To play that role effectively, you must be armed
with the right kind of information. That's what pre-interview
research is all about.
Break down your research efforts into four broad areas. That'll
make it easier to manage and also ensure you don't leave
anything out.
#1: Get insights into the organization
This is the best place to start your research.
Obviously you should find out about the organization's products
and services, the markets it serves and how long they have been
in existence. Plus, you need to know their organization
structure, who the top management is, recent trends in growth,
profitability and how their stock is performing.
However, to differentiate yourself, you must go beyond these
basic facts.
Find out a bit about the organization culture. Learn about what
they look for in employees. What areas are they expanding into
in the near future?
What are the key challenges facing the company? Are these the
same challenges facing the industry as a whole? What unique
difficulties do they face?
What do people working there think about the organization? Is
there high staff turnover, especially within senior management?
What do competitors think of the company?
Based on this information, try to think of what could be done to
solve some of their problems. What innovations could help them?
What contributions could they value?
#2: Find out about the job
In many cases, you'll have to wait for the interview to get all
the job details. However, you need to do some digging
beforehand.
Who will you be reporting to? What is his / her background and
reputation?
Find out about the general responsibilities in the job. What are
you expected to deliver on a daily basis? What results do you
need to achieve every quarter, every year?
Where does your department fit in within the hierarchy? Who held
this job before? Why did he leave? How many people have held
this job over the past five years? Who are the people you'll be
supervising?
What are the biggest obstacles to performing this job well? What
kind of person do they want for this position? What personal
qualities are they looking for?
You will need to tap into your network to find answers. Look for
leads into the target organization and try to get introductions
to people working there. The company's clients, vendors and
bankers are also good sources of information.
#3: Get to know about the interviewer
A key part of job interview success is about building rapport
with the interviewer. That's why it helps to find out something
about him.
Learn about his background -- educational qualifications and
career progression are good starting points. Get an idea about
his reputation within the organization.
Find out details like his professional affiliations, hobbies and
family. Try to get a sense of his values and personal style --
what kind of person is he?
See if you have anything in common with him. Whether it's
hobbies, city where you grew up or anything else. If there is,
it's easier to build rapport. Even if there isn't, the
fact-finding you've done will allow you to conduct yourself
appropriately at the job interview.
#4: Be up-to-date on the industry and profession
This is the big-picture context you must be aware of. Know about
trends and developments in the career you've chosen.
This is particularly important if you're changing careers. In
that case, your focus will be on your transferable skills. You
need to prove that you know what you are getting into and how
your existing skills and experience will help you in this new
career / profession.
Apart from mainstream news media, trade publications are a great
source of information. In addition, seek out someone in your
network who can give you the inside scoop on what's happening.
At the job interview, you should be able to discuss trends,
career paths and the skill-set needed to succeed. You are aiming
to convey that you have a firm grasp of what the industry and
profession is all about and that you are prepared to function
effectively.
Learn all pertinent facts about the industry. How profitable has
this industry been over time? What are the current growth
trends? Is this a mature, slow-growing industry or one of the
newer faster-paced ones?
How important is your profession to this industry? Is it a core
profession or something that's peripheral to the industry's
success?
What developments could disrupt growth and profitability? These
could be related to technology, distribution, changes in market
preferences and much more.
This information will allow you to talk intelligently about your
industry and profession.
Research is the base on which good strategy is built. Take the
time to do it well and you will have a considerable lead over
your competitors.