Careers & Employment Information

Pre-Interview Web Research


You have obtained an interview -- congratulations! You feel prepared to discuss your strengths, your accomplishments, your willingness to work hard and learn quickly, and your ability to fit seamlessly into the employer's needs. But... you don't know anything about the employer. You may not even be sure what kind of industry they are in. Do some quick homework before your interview and you may glean a basic understanding of their business that can set you apart from other candidates.

In the "old days" you would have needed to visit a library to try to find the employer in a Business Directory or Manufacturers' Guide. Now you can use the Internet to investigate. If you are lucky, and find that they have their own website, explore it completely, like a search engine spider, page by page and link by link. It will provide you with genuine insight into their organization, their accomplishments, and their values. Try to identify what kind of problems and challenges they may be facing which you could address in an interview. If the company does not have a website, Google them and see if they show up on another site.

If you know their product or service (if you don't, anonymously call the receptionist and just ask what the company does) search for their name within similar sites. If you cannot find the company anywhere, or can't find any helpful details, look at the industry they are in and see what is currently a hot topic and what predictions for future change are being discussed.

All such information will be immensely valuable in your interview either to demonstrate your ability to solve problems or, at the very least, allow you to ask intelligent, pertinent questions.

Virginia Bola operated a rehabilitation company for 20 years, developing innovative job search techniques for disabled workers, while serving as a Vocational Expert in Administrative, Civil and Workers' Compensation Courts. Author of an interactive and supportive workbook, The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, and a monthly ezine, The Worker's Edge, she can be reached at http://www.unemploymentblues.com or http://layoffblues.blogspot.com


MORE RESOURCES:
Google

Reuters

Why tech jobs are beating the employment odds
ZDNet - Jul 3, 2008
... impressively choreographed fireworks displays, we?re capping off one of the most depressing weeks for employment reports in the better half of a decade. ...
Treasurys rise ahead of employment report The Associated Press
US employment slump 'may continue into 2009' Vedior
Treasurys advance after ADP jobs report MarketWatch
International Business Times - Forbes
all 161 news articles


Boston Globe

Little doubt that US is in recession; rest of the world can't ...
The Age, Australia - 6 hours ago
"Employment continued to fall in construction, manufacturing, and employment services, while health care and mining added jobs," the department said in its ...
Fragile economy takes toll on jobs Los Angeles Times
Jobs continue to fade Chicago Tribune
Six Months of Job Loss Push Economy Toward Recession ABC News
Amerisurv (press release) - BusinessWeek
all 372 news articles


Earthtimes (press release)

Trouble for Small-Business Employment
U.S. News & World Report, DC - Jul 2, 2008
Last month, I declared small-business employment "not too shabby" after looking at May's survey from Automatic Data Processing and the consulting firm ...
ADP National Employment Report Shows US Employment Decreased by ... CNNMoney.com
ECONOMY: Little to Cheer on US Independence Day Inter Press Service (subscription)
DJ: ADP Sees June US Private Sector Jobs Down 79000 Onet.pl
New York Times - TheStreet.com
all 81 news articles


BBC News

Amid ugly job picture, tech related employment holds up
ZDNet - Jul 3, 2008
The US economy lost 62000 jobs in June for the sixth straight month of employment losses with an unemployment rate of 5.5 percent, but underneath the ...
Labor Department to Release Employment Report WJTV
Payrolls Shrank Again in June; Wall Street Journal
US non farm payrolls continue rolling downhill in June International Business Times
Forex Pros - The Australian
all 195 news articles


US stocks advance as employment report comes as expected
MarketWatch - 23 hours ago
By MarketWatch NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- US stocks end mostly higher, offering a benign reaction to the government's report on employment, which fell only ...
US stocks advance as employment report comes as expected MarketWatch
Dollar loses ground after weak jobs report MarketWatch
US stocks mostly higher in the wake of jobs data MarketWatch
all 26 news articles


Survey shows biggest decline in employment for six years
Financial Times, UK - 19 hours ago
By Daniel Pimlott in New York The US suffered its largest drop in employment in nearly six years in June in a sign of the deteriorating economic environment ...


Outlook Darker as Jobs Are Lost
New York Times, United States - 8 hours ago
Responding quickly to the government employment report, issued Thursday, the presidential candidates called for action, beyond the recent stimulus package, ...
Jobs Continue to Be Lost ToTheCenter.com
Employers Cut Workers for a Sixth Month New York Times
all 11 news articles


June is sixth straight month of job losses
Kansas City Star, MO - 17 hours ago
Since December, payroll employment has fallen by 438000 jobs. Another indicator, also reported Thursday, suggested further upward revisions in jobless ...
Job market: No bottom until '09 CNN
Why Lousy Jobs Numbers Might Be OK U.S. News & World Report
all 5 news articles


Getting The Deal Through - Labour & Employment 2008
Mondaq News Alerts (subscription), UK - 6 hours ago
As Australia is a federation, employment law is governed by laws made by the parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia (federal law) as well as by ...
Who Owns IP Produced "On The Job Mondaq News Alerts (subscription)
all 2 news articles


SJ: COUNTY SUPES OPPOSE FEDERAL ELECTRONIC EMPLOYMENT VERIFICATION ...
CBS 5, CA - 48 minutes ago
The SAVE Act would require all employers to verify the employment eligibility of all workers by using Basic Pilot/E-Verify, a system that relies heavily on ...

Employment - Google News

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