IN THIS CHAPTER
- Learning about the company before the interview
- Keeping up-to-date about trends in the industry in which you are seeking employment
- Researching information in reports and on the Internet
Part of being prepared for your job interview is doing your homework so that you are knowledgeable about the industry and the company where you are seeking employment. For example, if you are interviewing with a hospital for an accounting position, you want to know something about the health care industry and the specific hospital. A variety of ways are available to do the kind of research you need to answer and ask significant questions during your interview. This chapter examines how print materials, the Internet, and people can help you get the information you need for a winning interview.
Learning about the Company
One sure way to blow an interview is for you to lean back and say to the interviewer, "So tell me about what this company does." If the company is publicly held, you are expected to know something about the company, its products or services, and its annual revenues. If the company is privately held, you may not be able to get information about its revenues.
Take a look at the following Company Fact Sheet worksheet, which gives you an idea about the kind of information you should have before you go to the company for your interview. You may want to make a copy of this worksheet for each company to which you send a resume. You can complete the basic information when you send out the resume and research the rest when you have an interview lined up.
Company Name ______________________________________________________________________
Address ______________________________________________________________________
Phone/Fax Numbers ______________________________________________________________________
Directions ______________________________________________________________________
Contact Person ______________________________________________________________________
Title ______________________________________________________________________
E-mail ______________________________________________________________________
Networking Contact ______________________________________________________________________
Company Description ______________________________________________________________________
Number of Employees ______________________________________________________________________
Number of Locations ______________________________________________________________________
Ownership ______________________________________________________________________
Names of Officers, Senior Management ______________________________________________________________________
Annual Revenues ______________________________________________________________________
Major Competitors ______________________________________________________________________
Trends, Developments in Industry ______________________________________________________________________
Other Useful Information ______________________________________________________________________
Date(s) of Interviews ______________________________________________________________________
Position Job Title Job Description ______________________________________________________________________
Salary Range ______________________________________________________________________
Reports to ______________________________________________________________________
Other Useful Information ______________________________________________________________________
To gather the information you want to make a great impres-sion during your interview, you can use printed materials, the contacts you have, and, in some cases, the Internet.
The more you know about the company's products, prof-itability, markets, and activities, the greater the likelihood that you will appear to be a "good fit" for the job.
Printed materials
Many sources of printed materials are available that can give you valuable information about the companies that interest you. These include the annual reports that every publicly held company publishes, financial publications that provide current information about the status of companies, and direc-tories that contain information about the names of company officers, sales, and products.
An annual report is produced every year and sent to the stockholders of a company. These reports usually contain a message from the chairman of the board as well as informa-tion about sales and performance. When you read an annual report, you learn something about the "personality" of the company and its current expectations. Most provide the com-pany's mission statement that provides insight into the com-pany's values. YDUYOU can get a copy of a company's annual report by calling the company and requesting a copy from the shareholder relations department. You also can get copies from the public library or through personal stockbrokers.
Financial publications are also a valuable source of informa-tion about a specific company. These are commonly available through stockbrokers, most of who are willing to send you a copy of a publication's evaluation of a company. Two popular financial publications are The Value Line Investment. and SekP Investors Kit. Both of these publications offer special short-term subscription prices to individuals.
Various directories also contain a wealth of information about public as well as private companies. A few are listed here:
- Directory of Leading Private Companies. Profiles 22,000 companies with sales of $10 million or more annually. Includes Information about department managers.
- Million Dollar Directory Series. Published by Dun and Bradstreet, this five-volume series provides information for more than 160,000 companies.
- Standard & Poor's Register of Corporations, Directors, and Executives. These three volumes contain information about U.S. and Canadian companies, both public and private, including biographical data for 70,000 key executives.
These directories, and others, are available at your local library In addition, local Chambers of Commerce usually publish directories that contain information about member companies. This information includes when the company was founded, the names of the key executives, and a description of ks products or services. You can call the local Chamber of Commerce for a copy or visit your local library.
Joining your local Chamber of Commerce is often a good way to network with business people in your area. These contacts can be a valuable source of information.
People contacts
Networking with other business professionals has no substitute. Through your business contacts, you share information, swap tips, and expand the number of people you can access for information or assistance.
Networking is the process of making and keeping business contacts to develop professional relationships based on shar-ing information and offering support and assistance. People who work inside a company know the place and business best. Your best source of information is often the employees who work there. One of your objectives in prepar-ing for a winning Interview is to get to know people inside the company before you go on your interview.
When you prepare for an interview, use your networking con-tacts) to learn more about the company. If you know someone who knows someone who works for the company where you will be interviewed, ask for a referral. A referral occurs when the person you know gives you the name of somebody he or she knows within the company and gives you permis-sion to contact that other person using his or her name as your entree.
Referrals are much better than "cold calls," when you must Introduce yourself to a stranger hoping to obtain informa-tion. Based on the strength of the personal and professional network, the person you contact through a referral is much more likely to be friendly and helpful and take the time to answer your questions. Before you contact a person in the company to get informa-tion for your interview, write down your questions so that you don't seem disorganized. Write down the answers as well. Also, double-check the spelling of the name of the person you are contacting so that you can write a thank-you note after your call.
In the course of your interview, you may find a way to let the interviewer know that you have been in contact with (name). YDUYOU could say something like "I spoke with Ann Smith about her work here and was impressed with both the accomplishments and goals the company has set for itself".