Candidate Conversations 1

Our interview process always includes the question: “How would you prepare for an interview with the hiring company?” If the candidate immediately says something like, “I have looked at their website and social media footprint as well as LinkedIn”, it suggests that they have real interest and want to be taken seriously.

But there is more: Too often, if the company is publicly traded, the candidate misses the opportunity to read the available 10K and 10Qs from the past three years. Reading the President’s annual message reveals the projected path forward and where the company intends to spend on hard and soft assets.

Candidates also miss preparing themselves by not using the company directory to review and even follow key executives of the hiring company on LinkedIn. Candidates may discover that they went to the same school or even had common company employment with executives at the hiring company.

The candidates who do all these things are, in my experience, fewer than two in ten.

So, think of the 80/20 rule. 80% of candidates are not fully prepared, fewer than two in ten are steeped in critical knowledge that can differentiate them in an interview. Who would you like to be?