When I was recruiting, one of the easiest ways to tell if a candidate was genuinely interested in the open job was to ask questions about the company hiring for the job. For example, when I recruited for a global magazine publishing company, I asked candidates which of our magazines were their favorites. I didn’t really care which ones they chose, or even if our magazines were their favorites. I was testing to see if they knew what we published. If they didn’t bother to get to know our products, then surely they didn’t care enough about the job.
Whether it’s getting hired into a new company or promoted at your same company into a new role or starting a business and landing those first customers, your dream career needs the buy-in of others. In order to get that buy-in, you need to show that you care and aren’t just reaching for any job, any promotion, whatever business you can get. No one wants to feel like just another option!
Knowledge — about the company, the role and the needs of the decision-makers — is the best way to show that you care. You demonstrate that knowledge when you tailor your marketing, networking, interviews and meetings and other career actions to be specifically relevant and compelling to the decision-makers. You tailor most effectively when you have exhaustive research on the role, company and industry you are targeting.
Research is so important that when I created a job search course, I earmarked an entire module to research – e.g., how to find inside information, what to do with negative information, the most important research tool most job seekers don’t use. Check out Behind The Scenes In The Hiring Process, my online course with 7 modules (48 video lessons total) on all aspects of the job search – from identifying what you want to negotiating and closing the offer, with Module 4 on Research.
