Know The Interviewer - Job Interview Insights #1

Prior preparation.

Lack of basic preparation is one of the major reasons candidates fail at interviews.

Find out about the company and the role in advance.

Your should complete your extensive research into your prospective employer now that you have an interview. Before your applied you will have done some of this research already. Right? Well go deeper now. Researching your prospective employer will verify whether you will want to work for them and will help build a list of good interview questions.

Research the numbers. Get answers to the following questions:

• How does the company make money (what are its products and services)?
• What industry is the company in?
• Who are its main customers?
• How long has it been in business?
• How big is it (number of employees)?
• How profitable is it (revenues, earning and so on)?
• How large a share (roughly speaking) of the market does it have in the area you may be working?
• Who are its main competitors?
• Who is the CEO/Chairman and how long have they been there?
• What major events have taken place in the company over the past year (new product launches, acquisitions, major personnel changes and so on)?

• Find out information about the main company bosses: in most successful companies, the values of the leaders will trickle down to the management ranks. Their business philosophy will tell you about their priority, strategy and managerial approach. This information will begin to tell whether you are pursuing a company that is a good match for you in terms of your own priorities and way of operating.
• Any setbacks the company has suffered will tell you what their weaknesses are and potential areas for problems in the future. It may suggest ways in which you can contribute in the future.
• What are their current priorities - identify these from the company's annual report. If they excite you, then you'll want to make sure they know that in the interview. If they don't excite you, do you want to work there?

Good Luck.

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