Five ways to research target companies

Five ways to research companies

BE CURIOUS, BE PREPARED: research your potential employers

You are also interviewing them!

When job seekers prepare for an interview, they usually analyze the job posting, match their skills with what the employer is looking for, practice answering questions, and get their clothes ready.

Often, candidates also read the company’s website or social media postings. This is important to be able to position yourself as their best candidate.

I recommend you do a lot more research on them. After all, if you were to get hired you will spend lots of hours in that organization’s culture, with your team’s dynamics, your boss, and colleagues.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THEM?

Here are some examples of how to conduct research on your future employer:

• Google the organization’s name and the word “reviews” or “complaints”

• You can also reach out to former employees via LinkedIn and ask about the company and department

• Go deep in understanding the company’s mission, values and needs. You can then match your experience and your own values, and highlight these during the interview

• Search LinkedIn and try to figure out who works in your target team and what is their background

• Before the interview, ask for a list of people who will be participating and do some research on them: how long have they been with the company? how do they describe their work? what are their strengths? try to find common interests

• Prepare questions that are specific to each interviewer, think about how you can collaborate with each person

• Review the company’s social media (LI, FB, IG, Twitter and other feeds): what are they talking about?

• If you are invited to a second interview and the conversations are moving along, you can emphasize your interest in the role and ask them:

  • What is the office culture like?

  • What is your boss management style?

  • How did the position become available?

  • Who would you be supervising? Could you meet them?

It’s important to do due diligence on the decision you make. If you have a choice between opportunities, you want to make sure that this new chapter matches most of what you’ve identified as your future job criteria. If it does, you have found your ideal job and an environment in which you will be at your best!

I can help you research your target companies and create a Value Proposition that highlights why you are their best candidate.

Contact me and we can work together. Let’s get started!

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