Job Interviews - Good Research is the Key to Success

By : James Westt

It should be obvious that doing good research is a basic first step when preparing for a job interview. No one would want to go for an interview with absolutely no knowledge of the organization they are seeking a job with.

The fact is that you need a lot of information in order to create an effective plan of attack for any job interview. A fleeting glance at the latest annual report and a quick look at the company website is not enough by far.

When coaching people for job interviews, I have come across success stories where the interviewer was thoroughly impressed because the candidate had some small, insignificant bit of information that showed he or she had done research well beyond the basics.

If you think about it, what is likely to impress the interviewer more -- your knowledge of some fine point in their balance sheet or your knowledge of where the interviewer went to college? Obviously, the latter is likely to have far more impact than the former. This is of course, not to say that knowing the details of their balance sheet has no value.

Fundamentally, there are six areas where you need to gather information on before you walk into a job interview. These areas include but go beyond the obvious things like what the company manufactures, whether they are expanding or contracting, their size and so on.

Here are the six broad areas to dig into.

#1. Start off with information about the company or organization.

#2. Information about the industry or industries they operate in. This includes current trends, likely future developments in the industry and more.

#3. The profession or occupation itself. For instance, an accountant will want to know about the nature of the accounting profession, current developments within the profession, etc.

#4. The kind of job on offer. The responsibilities involved, deliverables expected from whoever occupies the position and so on.

#5. Information about who is interviewing you. General biographical data, their past and current responsibilities, etc.

#6. Information about the economy, current events and other developments of general interest.

Every contender for the job will know basic information about the company and you can't stand out from your competitors if that is all you know.

Not everyone, however, would have taken the time and trouble to dig into all six areas listed above. If you can get relevant information on each of these areas, that will differentiate you from all the others who want the same job.

One thing to keep in mind is that today, there is more information available about companies, industries and jobs than ever before. So at least some of your competitors may have much of the information mentioned above. That makes it all the more important for you to dig deep, get a real understanding of those areas and put together an effective plan to project yourself as the best person for the job.

James Westt is an author who has published many articles and essays online and off. He is an expert career coach but on also writes on other topics. You can check out some of his newest articles on what is asthma and about the hand held nebulizer for asthma patients at the previous links.

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