Although I prepare people for interviews all the time, I make certain assumptions about interview preparation that sometimes prove false.
I assume that people will have
clean clothing to wear,
dress properly,
arrive on time,
be prepared to speak about your experience,
research the company you are interviewing with,
. . . and a few other things.
This week, I was surprised to hear from a client that someone she interviewed had not taken any time to research their firm.
How would you ever join a company you know nothing about?
And research is so easy these days because of the availability of four tools:
Their website
YouTube
Looking at a firm’s website is so easy and most firms will, have an “About Us” page.
On LinkedIn on the top of the page, the search default is set to search people. If you use the drop down, you’ll find it also includes a “Search Companies.” Search for the company and you’ll not only find basic information about the firm, but people in your network who work there.
Reach out to those people about the company and about the person you are interviewing with.
Google lets you search for information about a company but it offers something else that is incredible–resumes of people you have previously worked for the company.
YouTube may show information that the firm and others are sharing about the firm.
Walking in to an interview without knowing anything and trying to learn about the company on the interview is ridiculous when a few minutes can pay an enormous return.
© 2005, 2011, 2015 All rights reserved Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter