Page 222 - Marky Stein - Get a Great Job When You Don't Have a Job-McGraw-Hill (2009)

Fearless Interviewing

An Interview Is Like a First Date

Have you ever been on a first date with a guy who talked only
about himself? With a woman who never asked you any questions
about your life or your interests? This person just blabbed on
about himself or herself until the end of the evening, when you
were relieved that it was finally O-V-E-R. Unless you were inter-
ested in getting to know an egomaniac, it’s likely that the first
date was probably the last.
An interview is a lot like a first date, in that displaying inter-
est in the other person (in this case, the company) actually makes
you more attractive to the person. It’s flattering if you ask the per-
son questions that allow them to “brag” a little bit. It’s a pleasant
surprise to the other person if you show that you actually know a
little bit about some of the things that are important to him or her.

Why Research a Company?

This chapter will present a deep well of resources from which to
plumb information on just about any company, large or small.
Besides enabling you to “flatter” the interviewer, there are at least
six central reasons to research a company before you step into
the interview:

1. To find out whether or not it’s a place you want to work
2. To discover what skills the job or the company most
values
3. To ferret out as much as you can about the company
culture and mission in order to align some of your com-
petencies to fit the company’s style and goals
4. To impress the employer when he or she asks: “Tell me,
what do you know about our company, and why would
you like to work here?”
5. So you can make intelligent queries when the employer
asks you: “So, do you have any questions about our
company?”
6. To give you an advantage because your competitors for
this job are not researching the company to the degree
that you’re going to

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