Researching tips prior to an interview or meeting

I often hear from companies that they are usually surprised at the lack of preparation that candidates conduct prior to an interview.  For a company that is supposedly of interest to a candidate, it is sometimes surprising at how little research is done prior to a meeting.  This complaint from companies is not just reserved for junior roles as they experience this issue at all pay grade levels.

Understanding the different divisions of a company and getting a feel for how the company goes to market not only helps a candidate appear intelligent in a meeting, but it also helps educate the candidate as to whether the particular opportunity is indeed the correct career move for them.  Thirty minutes of research is a much more efficient use of time than taking off time from work and travelling to and attending a meeting that will not be overly productive. 

When someone is meeting regarding an opportunity, I always suggest that they should have a general feel for what is expected in the role prior to the first meeting. Assuming the candidate’s questions can be answered during that first meeting and leaving compensation out of the equation, there should be enough information that if that person were offered the job and asked to start the following day, that concept would not seem utterly ridiculous.

This is not likely to happen but if the idea seems ridiculous to the candidate because of lack of information, than they are probably not asking the right questions or asking enough questions.

I should note that this is assuming that the hiring manager is conducting the interview rather than a representative from the Human Resources department.

What type of research should be done?

It is helpful to investigate the leadership team and their individual backgrounds, market share information, competitive activity, recent industry announcements, industry observations, and individual department activity.  I also suggest two other areas to investigate.

The first is what I call “bundling capability.” With more companies leveraging complimentary products as well as private label products, it is important to get a feel for the long term viability of a company in their specific space.  As more and more price point operators target specific areas of businesses, it is important that companies can leverage and provide more complex solutions rather than rely on R&D. 

Secondly, I suggest tracing the history of the company.  This can often help establish the long term logic of past decisions as well as help explain why strategic acquisitions were made.  This will often tell how proactive a company is in their field and this is especially important if it is a foreign owned company that may be focused on areas that are not as important to the Canadian market.  Having done this type of research also shows that the candidate has done their due diligence which just so happens to be a trait that is very sought after by most companies.

Which questions should you have ready for your meeting to better assist your research?

It is best to use SWAT analysis to formulate your questions for the interview.  Theses are usually a great guide to get relevant information about the proposed opportunity.  If the candidate is not excited about the opportunity after having their SWAT questions answered, than it is probably not the right opportunity and not worth while to continue pursuing.

S

– Strengths (get an understanding of what the hiring manager feels are the strengths of the company)

W

– Weaknesses (areas where the company needs to improve to be successful.  These ideally are areas where the candidate thinks they can contribute)

O

– Opportunities (where the company can leverage infrastructure, product line, resources or other to improve performance or beat a competitor)

T

– Threats (the areas that need to be minimized in order to achieve the goals of the company)

**Never ask SWAT questions without having answered them yourself.  Good candidates already have their own answers to these questions and are able to back up their opinions if asked.  If the interviewer decides to flip the question back on the candidate and their answers are weak or are not well prepared than the candidate is exposing themselves as an unworthy candidate for the position.

But what if I am researching a private company where there is very little public information available?

I

f the company is private, there needs to be an effort made to speak to people who either currently work at that company or have previously worked there.  Social media is not just for sharing pictures, use it as a research tool.  If someone is a top notch candidate and they are interested in a specific position, they will do their homework regarding the opportunity.

Farewell,

Mike