Thursday, March 6, 2014
Researching Organizations
Imagine you are in an interview. You are feeling slightly out of breath, nervous, and unsure. Your palms are sweaty and your shirt keeps tugging and is so completely uncomfortable. Why can’t you just wear sweatpants already? It’s not like you’re going to have to be dressed like this every day at the job anyway. It’s so frustrating. And then the interviewer asks the question. It’s supposed to be an easy, get the conversation going kind of question. “What do you know about us?” And all you can think is, well duh, that is why I am here! Aren’t you going to tell me all about the company and this job you’ve invited me in for?
If you just blurted the above statement out loud, you can count yourself out for this job.
In your experience (work, school, volunteering, etc.), think about the people that you really enjoyed working with. What characteristics did they possess?
I’m going to bet a part of what made them an enjoyable colleague is that they wanted to work there and they were invested in what the organization was all about. That is exactly what the employer is assessing in this question. How badly do you want this? How invested are you in working for us? Have you thought about how you fit with our organization? They want people working for them that really want to be there! After all, it is a very competitive market and if you don’t really want this job, then there is someone out there that does.
Bottom line, it is important to research an organization prior to going in for an interview. In fact, this should really be done even before you apply.
Back in the day (well…before the internet that is), in order to research an organization, you would have to come to the Career Development Center Library that housed binders full of information on a limited number of employers. Imagine physically needing to come to campus every time you wanted to learn about a company! How exhausting!
The internet has clearly changed the way we do things which has in turn impacted employer expectations. They expect you to conduct research on them and tailor every single resume and cover letter to address their specific needs. And guess what? They can completely do this. They have enough applications coming through that the only candidates that get a second look are the ones that tie in the job description with their qualifications. It takes time to do this, trust me, I know. However, like the old saying goes, quality over quantity. You might as well send out 10 tailored, impeccable applications versus 100 that will go directly to the circular file (aka the garbage can)!
So, get out there, research your organizations prior to applying and dig even deeper when prepping for your interview. I promise, it will pay off in the long run!
For more information, check out a great CDC web page on researching organizations (http://www.mnsu.edu/cdc/students/jobs_and_internships/researching_organizations.html) with more tips, videos, and links!
Kristin Underwood, Assistant Director in the CDC
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