This Domain For Sale. Contact us for more information.

Pre-Interview Web Research

You have obtained an interview -- congratulations! You feel prepared to discuss your strengths, your accomplishments, your willingness to work hard and learn quickly, and your ability to fit seamlessly into the employer's needs. But... you don't know anything about the employer. You may not even be sure what kind of industry they are in. Do some quick homework before your interview and you may glean a basic understanding of their business that can set you apart from other candidates.

In the "old days" you would have needed to visit a library to try to find the employer in a Business Directory or Manufacturers' Guide. Now you can use the Internet to investigate. If you are lucky, and find that they have their own website, explore it completely, like a search engine spider, page by page and link by link. It will provide you with genuine insight into their organization, their accomplishments, and their values. Try to identify what kind of problems and challenges they may be facing which you could address in an interview. If the company does not have a website, Google them and see if they show up on another site.

If you know their product or service (if you don't, anonymously call the receptionist and just ask what the company does) search for their name within similar sites. If you cannot find the company anywhere, or can't find any helpful details, look at the industry they are in and see what is currently a hot topic and what predictions for future change are being discussed.

All such information will be immensely valuable in your interview either to demonstrate your ability to solve problems or, at the very least, allow you to ask intelligent, pertinent questions.

Virginia Bola operated a rehabilitation company for 20 years, developing innovative job search techniques for disabled workers, while serving as a Vocational Expert in Administrative, Civil and Workers' Compensation Courts. Author of an interactive and supportive workbook, The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, and a monthly ezine, The Worker's Edge, she can be reached at http://www.unemploymentblues.com or http://layoffblues.blogspot.com

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Careers & Employment Information:

Writing Great Cover Letters
Cover letters are an essential ingredient to your complete résumé package. This is the best opportunity for you to demonstrate your personal character, knowledge of the company and your business writing skills.

Lets Talk About Trust
I agree with Brooker T. Washington, "Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him.

Job Search Blurts
I coined this word to draw attention tothe nervous and apprehensive way ofsaying something in the job search thatmakes you feel like a buffoon. A "blurt"is a catchy way of saying: Gaffe.

5 Proven Steps To Easily Master The Art Of The Interview And Get The Bartending Job Of Your Dreams!
Your mouth is dry, your palms are sweaty, your heart is beating so fast it feels like it is going to pop out of your chest!Sound familiar?For most people, interviews are uncomfortable. The mere thought of them causes anxiety and nervousness.

Six Factors That Can Cost You the Interview/Job
Most job seekers know that an unprofessional appearance will count against them at an interview. Here are six MORE factors that can help you remain in the unemployment line: (1) Being unprepared for the interview.

Your Value Proposition: A Critical Component To Having A Successful Job Search
Your value proposition is a series of statements defining your worth. It is the value you bring to the table - the skills, strengths, core competencies, marketable assets and accomplishments you can declare as your own.

Why Use a Resume Writer or Resume-writing Service?
Here are some of the questions we have been asked by our clients or potential clients in the past, together with our answers to them. We hope you find them useful, and that they help you to make an informed decision.

Do You Have What it Takes to be a Successful Petite Model?
Want to break into the petite modeling industry but wondering if you have what it takes to succeed? There are lots of magazine and commercial modeling opportunities for good modeling jobs. Take this quiz to find out if you qualify to be the next top face in the petite modeling industry.

Words. Words. Words.
They're only words. Some believe the school-yard taunt: "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.

Working with Recruiters: 5 Critical Words for Candidates
As professional recruiters working both retained and contingency search assignments, we spend a significant part of our effort preparing both the candidate and the client employer for prospective interviews. Preparing each side to meet and interact removes much of the predisposed tension that is inherent to the interview process on both sides.

Using Keywords to Find Legitimate Telecommuting Job Leads
Many people are choosing telecommuting as an option to bring in an income while being at home. Whatever the reasons that we choose to work at home, the one thing we all have in common is the problem of locating legitimate jobs online.

Career Change - Creating Wealth & Happiness
Whether you have a business idea or not, here's what I want you to do?I want you to take a pen and paper and go and sit somewhere quiet in your home where you will not be distracted. Get comfortable.

Fact or Opinion?
"You ain't going nowhere, son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck.

Negotiate Better Job Offers with This Twelve-Point Checklist
You've been through an employer's interview process successfully and have now been extended a job offer. And you think the offer could be better.

How to Recoup From Missing the Most Important Meeting of the Year
Sometimes missing a critical meeting just can't be helped. Despite the advance planning, you just cannot make it to the meeting.

Job Interviews: Use the Personal Touch to Get a Job
A study conducted by the Journal of Consumer Research in 1995 showed that sales people who used their prospects' names generated a 239% increase in sales. In today's fast-paced world, that personal touch is even more important.

Supplement Your Skills and Improve Your Work Position
It is often said that the majority of people are but a few checks away from homelessness. Without a consistent income, this may be a true statement.

How to Create a Great Electronic Resume
After creating the perfect resume, you then need todistribute it. You'll likely be sending some professionallyprinted hard copies, especially to "A list" companies ororganizations you've set your sights on.

How to Insure Job Security
The attorneys I coach have one common problem. They don't have enough hours in the day to do everything they need to do.

Find A Job In A Fast Growing Field Using Labor Market Information For Your State
The question confronting most people who want to find a job is "what's a good paying job with growth potential?"At one time, the Conestoga wagon building trade boomed as people joined the wagon trains heading west.Today, the boom is long gone and those wanting to find a job with a future will most likely wish to stay away from such a field.