You spend hours researching the latest iPhone, reading through and adding your own status updates on Facebook, or posting to your Pinterest page. But just how much time are you spending learning more about the company you’re about to interview with?
As leading Kansas City recruiters, Morgan Hunter knows the job interview is your chance to shine. And if you show up without asking any questions, or demonstrating any knowledge of the company, then you’re not going to get hired, plain and simple. It shows you didn’t prepare or do any basic homework about the company ahead of time. So why would they want to hire you?
Instead, spend some time (ok, a lot of time) learning about the company, its key players, mission and vision, industry trends and challenges, etc. before a job interview. You can do this in a few simple ways:
1) Start by checking out the company’s website. If it’s a big site, you don’t have to read it word for word. Review the key pages – home, about, services, and news / blog.
2) Look for the company’s Twitter, Facebook and/or LinkedIn pages. Not only will you gain some insight as to who the company is, but you’ll also learn about what their customers and the public think about them – information that can prove invaluable during your interview and impact your decision about whether or not to accept a job offer should you get one.
3) Next, be sure to Google the company’s name. You’re looking for any relevant third-party information or news articles about the company that can help you prepare thoughtful questions.
4) Once you’ve spent some time researching the company, develop a list of meaningful questions based on key data you uncovered during your research process. For instance:
- “Based on my research, I noticed the industry has experienced tremendous growth over the past few years. How has the company tried to capitalize off that?”
- “I noticed your website careers page mentioned training and professional development opportunities for employees. Can you tell me a little more about those?”
- “I saw on your company LinkedIn page that many of your employees are graduates of XYZ University. What are some other key traits your top employees share?”
The above are just a few examples of questions. Obviously, you will need to tailor your own questions based on the information you uncover about the specific employer and position. But the bottom line is that when you walk into a job interview armed with extensive knowledge about the company and are prepared to ask smart questions, your odds of landing the job are far greater.
Need more help finding a fabulous job?
Let Morgan Hunter know. As leading Kansas City recruiters, we can help you in every aspect of your job search – from finding opportunities and preparing for interviews to negotiating compensation.
Give us a call if you’d like some expert help with your job search.