If you are in the job market and searching for a new career opportunity, make sure you do your homework on your prospective employer. Check them out on Linked In and see if you know anyone who works there (or used to work there). Find out what type of employer they are – is it a positive work environment? Do they value their employees? Have they been doing layoffs lately? If they have been doing layoffs you shouldn’t be surprised if you don’t get a call back from them. If you should get an interview, ask them directly why they are hiring for the position you are interviewing for but they are laying off in other areas.
We tend to bend over backwards for the people we are interviewing for but we can find ourselves in a bad situation if we don’t know what are getting ourselves into.
There is a fine line between a high maintenance candidate and doing your due diligence – keep that in mind as well. You can do most of your research behind the scenes without bothering the employer. For the issues you have to speak with them directly about (like compensation) wait for the right time. If you rush everything into the first interview you may leave the wrong impression. It’s like dating – if you talk about marriage on the first date, you may scare the other person away.
Good luck!
Jennifer Schoennagel
CEO, Business Partners 360
Tags: interview, interviewing, job search, job seeking, recruiter
