Jun

08

Posted by : Ben | On : June 8, 2011

Originally published by Mike O’brien, CEO at Climber.com

Today, I want to talk about Company Research Made Easy!

Doing proper company research allows you to stand out from the crowd, by allowing you to effectively position your skills and experience to match the company’s job requirements; both on your resume and during the interview process. Additionally, in-depth research of a company allows you to discover whether or not a company is going to be a match for your needs.

Red Flags…

An interview is a two way street. During the research and interview phases you should be evaluating every company, assessing personal fit and long-term growth potential.  Effective research may help you discover that your dream company might actually be a nightmare! A great place to start is your local Better Business Bureau website www.bbb.org.  A company that treats its customers poorly might not treat their employees much better.  Conducting a quick Google search on any company will provide a plethora of information from a variety of sources, and often times you can find first hand feedback from current and former employees.

Your local Chamber of Commerce has great information about local companies.  You can use the search tool at www.chamberofcommerce.com to find your local Chamber branch.  Most will have links to the city or county’s Economic Research Bureau to provide a local economic outlook.

Google also has a great news article search tool, news.google.com. Conducting a search on the company, its competitors, and the overall industry can provide insight into how a company is positioned within an industry.  A Professor of mine once said, “The last buggy whip company was the best buggy whip company.” Remember, taking a job in a declining industry may only cause problems later.

Additional online resources:

Interview Prep

Before you go on your job interview you should spend at least 30 minutes refreshing your knowledge of the company and position for which you are interviewing.  Based on your previous research, prepare five to ten questions that will ultimately help you make your employment decision.

**Most Recruiters believe that it’s a good practice to bring a set of questions with you.**

Stay optimistic, your hard work will pay off.  Most people will not put in the work necessary to get the job, but you will!

The following article was published with permission from Climber.com, and the views expressed herein are of that organization and do not necessarily represent the views of Jordan-Sitter Associates, it’s employees or related parties.

Mar

19

Posted by : Ben | On : March 19, 2009

The two most important days in your newly hired manager’s career are his/her first visit to your dealership and first day on the job. Think about it…since the initial interview typically provides the first impression, hiring authorities should make the interview experience positive, while gaining necessary information to determine if the candidate merits further consideration. If that answer is “yes” then optimal interviewing requires: selling your company, selling the opportunity, and gathering sufficient input to aid your selection decision process.

Read the full article here.
First Published May 2007

Mar

19

Posted by : Ben | On : March 19, 2009

The theme of this article follows that of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s popular hit from the musical “The King and I”, “Getting to Know You…Getting to Know All About You”.

There seems to be powerful agreement from AED member executives that they would like to get to know potential managers much better than is typically the case. Ninety percent of those surveyed responded: “Yes, management level hiring decisions can be improved by getting to know the candidate better”. It’s equally true for an inside promotion situation as well as an outside hire.

Read the full article here.
First Published December 1997