Researching an employer is a distinct skill many take for granted. I read an article yesterday stating “search for the company name in Google” as a top tip for interview preparation. Now I’m not suggesting you avoid Google, I just don’t believe this is valuable advice. After all, Average Joe does not land the job.
We all know applications should always be tailored for each specific company. We also know if you turn-up to interview armed with facts, able to talk fluently about the organisation you stand a far greater chance of success. Actually making this happen relies on strong research skills.
This task should be split into 2:
Firstly, define your research objectives.
A good start is to use the below template:
Describe the business activity in no more than 2 sentences
What industry do they operate in?
How many employees?
How many offices and located where?
Is the business owned by another company?
Who are the customers? (TIP – if the answer is people e.g. for Tesco, then what type of people?)
Why do the customers buy from this company?
Who is the competition?
Has the company been in the press recently and if so, why?
Are there stories about the industry or competitors in the press?
What skills does the company look for?
Secondly, spend your time online wisely. This means using reputable websites and services. From personal experience I recommend the following:
Company website: focus on the ‘about us’ page, the products/ services, read client testimonials (if they exist) and spend considerable time on the press / media page reviewing all the text since this should represent the image the company likes to portray.
NewsNow: great resource for industry news, links to trade magazines, competitor information http://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Industry+Sectors
Hoovers: a paid for service but use the free search facility to get key information on millions of companies without having to subscribe http://www.hoovers.com/freeuk/
Trade Association Forum: link to the trade associations related to the company, learn about the industry http://www.taforum.org/searchgroup.pl?sector=1;n=500
Glassdoor: Review insider information on companies, interviews and more http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/index.htm
There are plenty of useful ‘premium’ sites, willing to offer free trials if you register. The most useful, insightful and valuable information is usually not freely available online. Take advantage of free trials targeted at businesses and get ahead. Search for “employer research” and you will see what I mean.
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