Entry Level Job Searching: Researching A Company

Researching a company is much more than reading the company website and spouting off some knowledge about a recent acquisition or award you read about.

By Matt Krumrie, Star Tribune Sales and Marketing

Last update: June 18, 2007 - 11:33 AM

Put yourself in an employer's shoes for a moment says Peter Vogt, president of Bloomington-based Career Planning Resources (www.careerplanningresources.com). How would you feel about a candidate who came in knowing little or nothing about your organization or the job being offered? What would you have to conclude about that person? Answer: That he or she doesn't really care much about the job or the company.

That's why researching a company is much more than reading the company website and spouting off some knowledge about a recent acquisition or award you read about. It goes much deeper than that, says Terese Corey Blanck, founder of College to Career, Inc. (www.collegetocareer.net) and author.

"Quite often I see career advisors telling candidates to look at the annual report but candidates really don't know what they are looking for," says Blanck.

Instead, Blanck says research news releases or stories that offer the latest information about the company's core values and vision, and work that into the interview and talk about how your skills relate. Take the extra effort to speak with someone who works there - be creative and use your network or college alumni center to find someone. If you can, use Hoovers Online or get help from a local library to get more on the company history and other facts.

Steven Rothberg, president of Collegerecruiter.com, recommends taking it further. Try and find out who the company's vendors are, and get to know the company through the eyes of people that work directly with them, either via a phone call or informational interview.

"You want to know the attributes that they look for in potential employees - experience, education, personality, and other requirements and preferences," says Rothberg. "Then you want to take those and be sure to highlight every attribute you have that lines up with the needs and wants of the employer."

"Go beyond the simple, straightforward research strategies," says Vogt.

Matt Krumrie is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights, and has eight years of experience reporting on the employment industry. The first Sunday of each month this column will answer readers' questions. E-mail questions or subject ideas to askmatt@startribune.com.