Researching The Company Pays Off

You have a ton of things to think about during your job search. Do you have researching the company on that list? There is loads of information you can discover about your prospective employer if you know where to look on the internet. It does take time, and it may be tedious, but nothing worth having is worth doing halfway. When you're in love with an employer, research it as much as possible.

Why You Research

There are several reasons why researching the company is important to your job search. You could have a dazzling answer to the interview question, "What do you know about us?" Any new facts presented to you during the interview make sense in the context of what you discovered. Your fact-finding mission shows your interviewers that you prepared well in advance, which is a soft skill that many employers like. Lastly, you get to see if the company and the position fit with your ideals, qualifications and skills before you even apply for a position.

What You Find

You can examine a treasure trove of information online when researching the company. Seek out financial data, press releases, corporate culture, employee views about managers and any pending mergers. The size of the company often determines how much information you uncover. Larger companies, and publicly traded ones, may have more data. Determine the size and industry of the firm to see its departments, number of employees, growth opportunities and physical locations.

1. Future Strategies

Researching the company starts with the firm's official website. Look for the annual report, press releases or any investor news regarding any future strategies. This is where you see the employer's priorities, any potential products and its mission over the coming months.

2. Corporate Culture

Start reading about the company culture through the mission statement. Expand that search to photos of the office, pictures of company events and photos of employees on the job. Glassdoor.com is another resource for this type of information. Does the employer have a lot of young people? Do they wear polo shirts, T-shirts or formal business attire?

3. Competition

Look at the company's industry and get information on the competition. Researching the company through its competitors is a great way to develop a strategy on how you can expand your prospective employer's market share and revenue as soon as you start the job.

4. Products and Service

Examine the products and services and compare that to the competition. Do you see room for improvement or expansion? That's a great conversation starter in the interview. Coming up with a plan gives you a leg up against other candidates.

Researching the company is an exhaustive process, but it's worth it when it comes to impressing your interviewers. It could make the difference between jump starting your career or continuing your stagnation.

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