Essential Questions Your Research Must Answer
- Here are some questions your research should help answer with regards to your interview:
- What is the organization and what does it do?
- What has the organization accomplished in the last three years?
- Where is the organization headed? What new products or services are on the horizon?
- What/who is the competition? Where is this organization at an advantage or disadvantage?
- How can you contribute to the organization's success (provided you get the job?)
If you are having trouble turning sales slogans into tangible answers, pick up a company of Leila K. Knight's Getting the Lowdown on Employers and a Leg Up on the Job Market (Ten Speed Press) for some down-to-earth, instructive steps in interpreting annual reports
Research the Job
If you became aware of the job opening through an advertisement, start with the job posting that led you to it. Study it to learn the skills, keywords, and buzzwords it uses. Look up any that are unfamiliar to you.
If you found out about the job through networking and do not have a job posting to refer to, you can requests a description of the job from the company. Many companies are required to write detailed descriptions of the job responsibilities and needed skills.
You can also use your network to find someone who works in a similar job. Ask that person what it takes to succeed in the job; then find ways to communication these qualities to your interviewer.
Research the Interviewer
Do not underestimate the power of the Internet either. Go to your favorite search engine (such as Google) and type in the person's name, surrounded by quotation marks. you might find articles about the person's interests and activities, community involvement, or even information related directly to the work he or she does for company. Use good judgement here, though, because lots of people in the world share the same name.
When it comes to researching your specific interviewer, you may have to resort to the telephone. If you know any of the current employees, politely ask them about this person's style of work, how he or she spends the day, and so forth. The information you dig up could be invaluable (though I do not recommend using any of it as blackmail).
Ultimately every little bit helps. The more you know about the industry, the company, the job, and the interviewer, the better prepared you will be. Not to mention knowing a lot about a company shows that you are interested in the industry, that you came to the interview prepared, and that you are willing to learn.
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