Researching is essential for an effective job search, be it before an interview or after getting the job offer.
During this phase, you get to figure out if the employer is right for you, whether the company culture suits you, what are the career path opportunities, about work/ life balance and more. You would like to know, in general, whether the employer is the perfect ‘fit’ for your professional as well as personal life.
You can get a competitive edge, if you are armed with an arsenal of information about the potential employer, and on the industry in which you wish to work.
Here are some ways to research a potential employer, so that you can make an informed and confident decision after knowing what they have to offer:
Check the company’s website
As corporate websites have lots of information about them, checking their website is the first thing to do while researching a company. You should research extensively so that you can know about their mission, culture, and also the overall health and direction of the organization. By knowing about the core mission, you can ensure their goals are clear, and resonate with your interests and passion.
In addition to looking for the successes, also make it a point to identify the potential red flags or challenges so that you can get the answers during your interview or before accepting the offer.
Have a look at their Socials
The next step would be to go through all the social media channels of the company to find out about the kinds of content being posted, the audiences they are engaging with, and the kind of feedback they are getting in the comments section. You must be aware of the tone that is being set in their professional space, and the way they are branding or positioning themselves on social media.
Search for news about the company
The next thing is to research their PR. You must know the kind of messaging or news they are promoting about the company, for the public to know. You can search press release databases for news about the organization. This will let you know about their most recent and important accomplishments and also what the company is most proud of, what is trending with the company and so on. Press releases are good sources of newsworthy information about a company.
Forums and business journals are also reliable sources of news about the company.
Know about the Company Culture
You can either ask your interviewers about the company culture or utilize your own networks for some insights. You may also pose this question to past or present employees of the company, if you happen to meet them during your interview phase.
Read Online Reviews
Go through online reviews of the company from former or current employees, clients, partners, or anyone else, who has worked with your potential new employer. This way, you can find out not only about their professional reputation in your field but also, you can get to know how they work, their strengths and weaknesses and what other people think and say about them.
Set up News Alerts
Setting up a Google or any online news alert, just ahead of your interview, will let you know whether the company is mentioned in the press. By setting up this alert, you can see what other organizations or news outlets are saying about your potential employer.
Sign up for their newsletter
To get a real-time inside look of what’s happening in the company, you can sign up for the news letters of the company, which give information about the most recent news, events, industry insights etc.
Work your Contacts
With the help of your networks, try to find out as much as you can about your potential employer. Word of mouth recommendations can help you get sizable information.
Know about the Competitors
You must be aware of who your biggest competitors are in your field.You can ask the question during a job interview. After identifying the competitors, you can compare them with your potential employer in terms of performance, successes and challenges.
This provides you with a more holistic view of what the company is all about, where they are positioned in the market, and whether they are heading toward success or failure.
Read Bios of your Leaders
It is the leadership that sets the tone of a company’s culture, and steers the employees towards certain priorities and goals. You must find out about the company’s few top leaders and search their online profiles, social media accounts, LinkedIn pages, news articles, published works etc.
You must identify their general professional philosophies so that you can know if their vision and leadership styles match with the kind of environment you wish to work in. You should also find out, if you can progress under them, whether their work so far, motivates, inspires, and excites you, are they really nice people who will care about you and the organization.
Research your Interviewers
Just in the same way as you investigate the company’s leadership, research your interviewers too. Make a note of the more interesting aspects of their biography, how they lead and work, their involvement in the organization and also some potential talking points or questions you can ask during the interview.
Proper research about your potential employer will definitely give you an upper hand in landing your dream job.
