Analyzing Your Potential Employer

There are many important areas of preparation to deal with prior to the interview. By thoroughly preparing, you increase your chances of making a positive first impression. One of the most important steps involves researching the company.

It is annoying for a recruiter to talk with a candidate who doesn’t have any knowledge about the company. A favorite question asked is “Why are you interested in our organization?” If you don’t know anything about the employer, you won’t be able to answer the question intelligently. Researching the organization also helps determine whether your goals will fit the promotional structures defined by that employer. For example, there are some employers who have a reputation for being conservative and if you cannot fit in with this type of work environment, you know that talking to the recruiter would be a waste of time.

Organization Is The Key To Success

It’s wise to begin researching weeks before your interview. You may find reams of information and you must be able to sort out the pertinent information and retain the key facts. Additionally, it may be difficult to find some information and some digging will be required.

If you are interviewing with a number of different employers, it’s smart to keep a file on each one. As you do more research, the file will help you keep facts organized, making the preparation easier.

The information in each file should include articles from periodicals or newspapers, tips and comments from others and annual reports. When it is time to prepare for the interview, you can organize the information in a way that will impress the recruiter during the interview.

It’s a mistake to assume you know enough about the organization without doing any research. For example, you may know that Ralston Purina makes pet food, but are you aware the company also makes breakfast cereal, owns a major tuna fish company, and owns and operates restaurants? You may be talking with a subsidiary of a much larger company and not realize it if you don’t do your research.

Facts To Know About The Organization

. Size of organization in industry . Potential growth

. Annual Sales growth for past five years . Complete product line or services

. Potential new products or services . Competition

. Typical career path in your field . Geographical locations

. History of organization . Location of corporate headquarters

. Number of plants, stores and outlets as well as their Organizational structure

. Type of training program and Promotional path

. Recent developments via news stories and Relocation policies

. Age of top management and their employees. Name and correct spelling of recruiter

Analyzing Your Potential Employer

Information Sources Available

Researching an organization can be done through a variety of sources. The primary source should be annual reports and employment brochures. While this information is prepared by the organization and includes predominantly positive information, it is a good starting place. All publicly held companies are required to report to their stockholders via annual reports. If the library does not have the necessary information, you can contact the organization directly.

The library should also have different business periodicals and newspapers. Robert G. Traxel, author of Manager’s Guide to Successful Job Hunting, suggests using the following publications. These are listed below and should be perused for articles, both about the company in question and also its competition.

1. The Wall Street Journal

2. Barron’s

3. Dun’s Review

4. Business Week

5. Forbes Magazine

6. Fortune Magazine

7. Trade publications

8. Finance and business section of local newspaper

9. Weekly News Publications

There are also directories available which can be useful sources. If these directories are not available at the library, check with local stockbrokerage firms. The important thing is not to give up if you can’t find the information at the library. Check with the reference department and ask for advice. If the library doesn’t have the information you need, they can often refer you to an alternative source. Useful directories include:

1. Standard and Poor ’s corporation records

2. Dun and Bradstreet reference library

3. Moody’s manuals

4. Thomas ’ Register of American Manufacturers

5. Million Dollar Directory

6. Ward’s Business Directory

7. Specialized single-industry directories