When you are in the market for a new position, it is a real bonus if you can find a role and employer that is going to provide the type of challenges and opportunities that match your expectations.
People specifically target roles with companies for a variety of reasons — whether it is the specific job responsibilities, or they may love something about the product, or have heard great things about the company training, they like their family friendly policies or whatever it is that is appropriate to them at their current stage of your life.
We all work for different reasons and have different things we look for in employment.
At some stages it is the career path and opportunities, at other stages it is the flexibility of hours or the training that is provided.
For some people it is the social interaction, the culture of their work environment or even the closeness to home.
No one factor determines why we like our jobs and our employers.
Diverse influences
If you can be in an environment that allows a balance between your own health and well being , which suits your needs and interests, and where you are appreciated and respected — this is the ideal work environment.
Also being appropriately paid for your effort is an essential. So doing your homework about potential employers, no matter what level role you are applying for, is an important task that you should undertake.
Before you go to have an interview with a potential employer, whether it is a large company or a small local business, it is very helpful to find out about what they do and how they operate.
Those who interview you, will expect you to know something about their business, and the more effort you have made, the more impressed they will be.
The internet is probably the first port of call when researching a potential employer. Try and find their website, or use a search engine like Google or Yahoo to find any reference to them or their products.
If they are a company, you can do some basic company information searching on the ASIC website.
Solid research
Public companies also have annual reports that you can access.
Researching companies through newspaper articles, business magazines, TV business shows, etc, are all useful tools.
If you can get access to any promotional materials or company catalogues this can help build up a picture of this business and what they do, and how they operate. Local businesses are more likely to be covered in articles through council websites, Chamber of Commerce groups and local newspapers.
Word of mouth is a crucial means of getting the nitty gritty about businesses. So if you know people who are already employed there, or are previous employees, or have had some dealings with the company and the industry, talk to them about the business and what they think of them.
Researching a potential employer is all part of the process of being prepared for an interview. If you can start the interview feeling some level of confidence about the business and what they do, it will reflect in how you perform.
You certainly don’t need to be a guru about the business, and it is acceptable to ask relevant questions about the role and the business as part of the interview process.
In fact having a few prepared questions shows that you have put some thought into the process and the potential role.
Good luck with your research and your interview!
When planning to interview candidates for any positions, you need to be well prepared and documented. Generally speaking you would probably interview several candidates for the one position.
