Researching the company before an interview

Reprinted courtesy of TheCareerNews.com
How would you feel about a interviewing someone who came in knowing little or nothing about your organization or the job being offered? What would you have to conclude about that person? Answer: That he or she doesn’t really care much about the job or the company.
That’s why researching a company is much more than reading the company website and spouting off some knowledge about a recent acquisition or award you read about. It goes much deeper than that, says Terese Corey Blanck, author and founder of College to Career, Inc. and author. “Quite often I see career advisers telling candidates to look at the annual report but candidates really don’t know what they are looking for,” says Blanck.

Instead, Blanck says research news releases or stories that offer the latest information about the company’s core values and vision, and work that into the interview and talk about how your skills relate. Take the extra effort to speak with someone who works there – be creative and use your network or college alumni center to find someone. If you can, use Hoovers Online or get help from a local library to get more on the company history and other facts.
Article abridged from Star Tribune, and reprinted from TheCareerNews.com. Get the latest breaking News, Tips and Tools for your job search, Free!