Research the company:

Research is the single most important thing that you can do to get the job. What does the company do? How big or small are they? Did they win any recent accolades or awards? What products do they manufacture / import / export? Look at the markets they operate in, their competitors, current activities, etc.

A common question in interviews will be to ask you about the company and what you know about it. If the question does not get asked you can work into an answer or into a question of your own. Indicating that you know something about the company displays interest from your side in the company.

The easiest way to do research on a company is to go to their website (start at the "About Us" section) or to do a search on the internet. Remember that a company might be part of a bigger group and that you have to visit the parent company's website. If there are no or very little information available on the internet you will have to visit your local library or try and find information in trade journals, magazines, newspapers, etc.

Now that you have the information together you need to think about what you have read. What stood out, any challenges they might be facing in the near future and what is your opinion? Digest the information and make sure that you will be able to talk to the interviewer about his or her company on an informed level.
While doing your research it is also crucial to prepare questions that you might want to ask the interviewer.
Another very good reason to do your research: There are always one or two internal applicants who applied for the same position. Internal candidates will know the organisation, its culture and people. You therefore need to present yourself as a more attractive option, a candidate who knows the company better than the internal candidates.


Research the vacancy:

The second item that needs to be researched is the position itself. The advert itself will supply you with a lot of information on what the company is looking for (and therefore what the interviewer will be looking for). By breaking it down in the key words you can start to anticipate some of the questions and start to think of examples where you have done something similar in the past. An example:

A new division in our company is looking for a self-starter and energetic individual to take control of general office management duties. The person must have good verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work in a team and without supervision. The key words can be analysed as follow:

• new division - no infrastructure and empty offices

• self-starter - no handing over from previous incumbent, no lengthy duty lists

• energetic - you will be busy

• take control - must be able to take ownership of things, sort problems out

• without supervision - there is no manager to tell you what to do

• etc.

Do you have the skills, qualifications and experience mentioned? It is highly unlikely that you will be hired if you do not have what they are looking for. However, if you fulfil the majority of requirements you should be able to get to interview level - it is then up to you to demonstrate how, and how quickly, you will acquire the "missing" skills.

JOB SEARCH