Hiring managers have high expectations from you once you get to the interview stage. Unfortunately, all too often, Job Seekers fail to do the research necessary to be fully prepared for an effective interview performance.

The following recruiting tips will assist you in better preparing for that coveted interview.

Knowledge of the Company

The most important recruiting tip I can ever give you as it relates to preparing for your interview is:

You should never participate in any type of interview with an HR Rep or Hiring Manager without having researched the company.

Hiring managers want to make sure you have specifically chosen to apply and interview for this position. They do not want to believe you are applying to hundreds of jobs and will take the first offer you are given! Keep in mind that the Hiring Manager is ultimately responsible for your success if you are hired, so if you have not spent any time learning anything about the company and how working for that company will enable you to grow in your career goals, you can pretty much expect to be rejected from the position immediately.

You may be asking where you can go to conduct such research.

Start at the company’s website. Review the various pages of the website to understand the product or service they offer, their company mission, the company’s history, their management team, and anything else you can get your hands on.

Explore LinkedIn to review both the company profile as well as the profiles of some of the employees who work there. This will give you a great idea as to the company culture, education and background preference of their employees, as well as locations of their workforce.

Do a straight Google search for the company name. I find a ton of information on companies by just searching "Company ABC News" in the Google Search Bar. You can do a similar search to better understand the company’s financial situation. Just simply search "Company ABC Finances" or similar term in the Google Search Bar to see if there are any issues you should be concerned about.

Additionally, always take a look at industry specific websites such as ClinicalTrial.gov for the Clinical Research arena or the Information Technology Industry Council (www.itic.org) for IT, etc.

Knowledge of the Interviewer

When someone calls or emails you to set up a phone interview, always ask the name of the individual to whom you will be speaking and their role in the company. If you have a good rapport with the individual who is coordinating the interview, ask him or her about your interviewer’s personality and hot buttons so you know what to expect.

Knowing the name and role of the interviewer will enable you to research that person. Is he/she on LinkedIn, Facebook, or other Social Media sites? Are you able to see the individual’s education or work history? Are you able to find the individual on the Internet anywhere (local news articles, volunteer programs, etc.)? Knowledge is power and the more you know about your interviewer the more likely you will be able to build a relationship with him or her.

Also, a critical recruiting tip is that you must have interview questions prepared for your interviewer so knowing the individual’s role as well as some of their education, work history, and personal background will give you a better idea on what types of questions to ask.

I hope you have found these recruiting tips on how to prepare for an effective phone interview very informative. Stay tuned for the next lesson in our email course where I will take you through how to conduct a powerful interview!

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts