One of the most likely questions that you will face prior to interview is, “What Do You Know About The Company”? Employers use this question to assess your interest and enthusiasm for working at their company, in particular, as opposed to it being just one of many companies you are applying for. It makes sense really, because while the company wants highly skilled people, they also want their employees to have passion for the business which will translate to energy and drive.
The statistics back this up also with a survey by comerecommended showing that 47% of employers saying that the most common mistake made by candidates is having little or no knowledge of the company prior to interview. So, as you can see itis crucial that you have good knowledge about the business prior to interview. So, what sort of knowledge should you possess? I think there are several pieces of information that you should know about the company and I have set these out below.
1.Detailed knowledge of their products and services, particularly flagship and high performing products.
2.Understand the company’s market positioning, coverage and penetration
3.Understand the companies annual turnover and profitability and main vital statistics
4.Knowledge of key business locations, markets and territories.
5.Ownership status and key business figures and personalities
6.Company Values, Culture and Mission Statement
7.Future expansion plans, new and future product releases
8.Movers and shakers, know about high profile joiners and leavers
Where can you find this information?
This is the exciting, investigative part when you need to behave like a private. Fortunately, you don’t have to go around acting like Magnum PI, you can do it all from the comfort of your own home. There are several on-line places where you can find this information and these are listed below.
1.The company website and careers page
2.Company annual report
3.Company Linked-In/Facebook page
4.Linked-In pages of employees and key company figures
5.Twitter account of employees and key company figures
6.Industry press
7.Business Wire
8.WetFeet.com
9.Hoover’s Online
10.Annual Reports Library
11.Forbes Lists of Best Companies
12.Thomas Register
13.Wright Research Center
14.EarningsWhispers.com
How to use this info
Once you have this information, you can not only use it to answer the question about company knowledge, but you should make references to this company information throughout the interview to really demonstrate your knowledge and interest in the company.
Good Luck with your next interview!
Source of this article;
http://thecareercafe.co.uk/blog/?p=5252