Researching your prospective employer

Researching information on your prospective employer is an important step in the job search process. It not only helps you know about your prospective company, but also helps you in making a right decision about your job. Above all during the interview process hiring managers try to assess whether you have an idea about the company and almost always prefer candidates who are well informed.

An HR executive explains, “General information gained about the organization before attending the interview will enable the candidate to ask specific questions about the job to the interviewer. It will also help them gather more detailed knowledge apart from what is readily available about the company online.” In fact this exercise will help you decide whether you are really interested to work for that particular company or not.

There are a lot of avenues available to gather information about an organization. The most common and easiest way is to browse through the company website. It will help you know about their management team, location of various branches in India and abroad, their products and services. Go through the careers section in the website to know more about the open position. Basically by browsing through the company’s web page you will get a feel of what life in that company is all about. You can also view the media page where you can read the press releases and know about the future plans of the company.

“Apart from using the internet you can read industry journals, financial magazines and business section of newspapers to know if the company is planning for any mergers and acquisitions, their stock price, recent layoffs and any expansion or shut down plans. Alternatively you can talk to the company HR, any current employees you may know or even former employees. You can access social networking sites to get in touch with such employees. They will be more than happy to guide you. It is good to read company blogs to get an idea particularly about the work environment. Keep your ears open to what the media is saying to know what is really happening out there,” suggests a call centre executive.

It is highly essential to know the details about the organization with whom you are planning to work. Preparing yourself well about the company before the interview will increase your chances of getting hired. Moreover, it will give you an idea about the financial stability of the company. So put in all your efforts and gather as much information as possible about your prospective employer before you actually join them. It will ensure that you are not dissatisfied with the organization at a later stage.

- Ranjita Chattopadhyay (views expressed in the article are that of the author)