Researching the people / person / company with whom you are meeting is one way to have an extra edge on the competition. Although the internet offers plenty of info
rmation for a researcher to find out about companies it can be harder to find out information on the person with whom you are interviewing. This is where social media can help.LinkedIn is a website geared towards professional networking. This site usually has a complete listing of a person’s job history and many times includes an image of the person.
Twitter does a site where you can find out what a person’s interests are so that you can feel comfortable and know what topics to cover in your conversations.
Facebook is one of my personal favorites for finding images of a person. To often when you either e-mail or speak on the phone you develop a mental image that may not reflect the real image. To make sure that I am not surprised I try to find an image of a person this helps me prepare for whom I am having the conversation and concentrate on the substance of the meeting not the person.
Zoominfo is another personal favorite for researching people and companies. I can always find past articles, images, and just about anything that is currently posted on the web. This site helps me to compile a profile of the person or company so that I know what to expect in the meeting.
I recently read an article called Laid Off And Looking on the Wall Street Journa
l blog site, in it the author Alina Dizik states that “it’s critical to have significant knowledge about a company so you can make a good impression.” She expresses that a person does need to do research about a company but not so much that you showboat.To put the rationale for why you should research a company before you go to the interview in sports terminology remember coaches tell the fans that preparation is the number one reason their team wins games.
Thank you for the info about Zoominfo and Laid Off and Looking. I hadn't heard of that site and the article will be great for my job search class.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't ever thought of looking up info on the person interviewing you on Facebook, but that's an interesting idea, if you can find out who exactly will be interviewing you. I have never known that information ahead of time in any job interview I've been on. But it sure would have been handy!
It is very important to be prepared for interviews. It is even more important now days with the declining economy. Employers are expecting more and more from individuals and people need to do whatever they can to make a positive impression in order to obtain the job. It is great that there are resources out there that can help individuals become more informed for job interviews. I will definitely be looking into LinkedIn when I begin my job search in a couple years.
ReplyDeleteBeing a junior in college, I am well aware that I will have to start my own job search soon enough. It scares me to think that there will be very few job openings available when I’m ready to get my “big girl job.” I do agree that being adequately prepared for an interview will give you an edge over the competition. I know there are internet sites out there that help you find job openings. I have never been on one of these sites. I often wonder if the jobs posted on there are as good quality as other ones you can find.
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