Page 230 - Marky Stein - Get a Great Job When You Don't Have a Job-McGraw-Hill (2009)

Fearless Interviewing

• 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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