Survey Says Applicants Don?t Do Proper Homework
by October 1, 2001 12:00 am 73 views
Accountemps Inc. of Menlo Park, Calif., which operates a Springdale office, asked 150 executives from 1,000 of the nation’s largest firms about the most frequent mistakes made by candidates during job interviews.
The largest problem, the study found, was that 44 percent of applicants don’t do adequate research about the company or job they’re applying to get. Supha Vandiver, Accountemps’ division director in Springdale, said the Internet is the best place for candidates to look for information on their prospective employer.
“Most company Web sites include press releases, product and service information and profiles of the firm and its executives,” Vandiver said. “… A keyword search on targeted sites will typically locate articles written about the company.”
Max Messmer, author of “Managing Your Career for Dummies,” says in his book that the more information candidates have about their employers, the more likely they are to land their desired job.
He said every job applicant should be prepared to answer the following questions before meeting with a hiring manager:
What does the company do?
What products and services does it sell?
Who are its primary competitors?
What current industry issues or events are of interest to the firm?
What are the company’s mission, vision and values?