Page 78 - Fearless Interviewing How To Win The Job By Communicating With Confidence
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Research: What Separates the Hired from the Not Hired
                       • Its ranking on a number of financial and business lists,
                          including the Fortune 500 list.
                       • Archived press releases sent out by the company as
                          well as recent (even same day) media reports on the
                          corporation
                   Can you imagine an employer asking you, “What do you know
                   about our company?” and your responding with the following
                   statement:


                       Well, I know you were founded in 1977 in Boston, Massa-
                       chusetts, by Steven Gibbs, and that your current CEO is Karen
                       Solomon. I believe that you first started with the production
                       of only televisions and radios, but today the company is cur-
                       rently number 702 in the Fortune 1000 and has expanded
                       its product line to a very wide array of electronic products
                       that includes a launch of a wireless telephone device next
                       month. I know that you have been voted as one of the top 20
                       companies to work for, according to Forbes magazine, and that
                       all of those things would make me very proud to be a part of
                       your team.

                   A little research beforehand and you’ll be in command of all this data!
                   You’ll sound like you’ve been researching all night. Not only is it
                   flattering to the employer that you know so much about his or
                   her company, but it also says a lot about you. One would imagine
                   that a person with this much relevant information under his or
                   her belt would not only be well prepared but also intelligent, per-
                   sistent, diligent, proactive, and persuasive—just to name a few
                   qualities. Tell me one employer who wouldn’t want an employee
                   like that!


                        Use Your Library Card as a Job Search Tool

                   If you prefer to search for books and periodicals at the library, go
                   directly to the reference desk and tell the reference librarian
                   exactly what you’re trying to do. Reference librarians, in my
                   experience, are even more valuable than a good career coach
                   when it comes to guiding people to exactly the kind of informa-
                   tion they are looking for at this stage. He or she will expertly


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