Category Archives: information

So your CV has worked its charm and you’ve been offered an interview.  You’ve got your chance to decide whether you like this company and they are thinking the same about you.

You’ve done your homework and tailored your CV for the position, and the interview process should be just as tailored.  It’s important to know enough about the company to hold a conversation and ask intelligent questions.  Apart from the basic questions you may have about the position, show the interviewers what you know about the company, the industry how much you’ve considered this role.

Here are a few suggestions on how to do your homework before your interview

The company website

An obvious place to start, but remember that companies put information on their websites they want their customers to see.  This may or may not be comprehensive, but it shouldn’t be the end of your search for understanding the company.

Industry information

Let’s say you’re going to an interview at an airline.  Knowing the company’s recent performance shows you’re paying attention and care about the big picture – not just the role you’re applying for.  Publically owned companies usually have their annual financial reports posted on their website somewhere (often under shareholder information), or check the Companies Office for financials.  Remember, you’re looking for a positive spin on things, so consider looking at the big picture over the past two or three years and making a broad comparison (it helps if there’s a statement at the front of the annual report explaining something positive),that you can leverage.  Something like, ‘Your year on year growth of 3.5% is pretty impressive, particularly as more companies have moved into the market.  I’m sure it’s a consistent challenge to stay ahead of your competitors.’  Something like this can open the conversation for them to discuss the company culture or performance strategy.  Or it may be as simple as mentioning the new GM as listed in the annual report and asking how this is changing the culture in the company.

Every industry is different, but here are some thoughts to get you started on researching an industry

• Check the trade association/guild/institute for the type of company to get a feel for what they consider success to look like.  Examples of this type of agency might be BRANZ (building and construction industry), or REINZ (Real Estate Institute of New Zealand).
• Check government regulatory authorities for some up to date news on the industry.  For example, MBIE (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment) for building and housing, health and safety or science and innovation related fields.
• Reputable reports are produced for a variety of industries, for example KPMG’s Financial Institutions Performance Survey is published annually and analyses the financial services industry.  A quick insight on a competitor or the performance of the company you’re interviewing at can make you look very good indeed.
• Each year Waikato University produces the New Zealand Business Benchmarking Survey.  It’s a very comprehensive report, giving you an idea of performance within an industry using 35 key financial ratios.  It’s expensive, so I suggest you find a library that has a copy.  This order form has some sample pages to give you an idea of what’s included.
• If you’re interviewing at a smaller company or a government agency, consider checking StatsNZ for some big picture numbers or trends in that field.
• A quick media search for articles related to your industry (maybe 3-6 months’ worth) will give you some insights into what the company may be considering at the moment.

While interviews can be very unpredictable, being ready to share your thoughts on the company or industry can set you above the rest.

If you’re interested in specific industry information sources, leave a comment and I’ll post some resources.

Who remembers memorising phone numbers?  I reckon I could recall a few primary school friends’ phone numbers if I give it a go.

But if you’ve ever had that situation in the last few years when the power is out or the computer is otherwise down and you need to fix something, there’s this moment of reaching back to the dark recesses of your mind to remember how to read a manual (and I’m talking a computer manual, not just a toaster manual).  Take a breath, check the contents page and realise you’ll need to check the index.  Think of synonyms and make a mental list, bookmark some pages, and try to assemble some insights before addressing the problem.  No online clip for changing that car oil, no blog post on why your TV won’t tune.  It’s uncomfortable, it’s no longer familiar.

As someone who can’t watch a movie without IMDB open to answer my every question, I love having information at my fingertips.  But I’m increasingly aware that a generation is changing – and not just because no one memorises phone numbers anymore.

The Economist recently published a blog article about changes at Google.  In the midst of discussion about the pros and cons of Google Reader, they hit on a great point regarding information searching which got me thinking.  The basic premise is that, once we become comfortable with a smartphone world that allows us to very quickly find anything we need – the nearest cafe/mall/train station, we adjust.  Very quickly.  And once we become comfortable with that, we begin rearranging our mental architecture.

We stop memorising key data points and start learning how to ask the right questions. We begin to think differently. About lots of things. We stop keeping a mental model of the physical geography of the world around us, because why bother? We can call up an incredibly detailed and accurate map of the world, complete with satellite and street-level images, whenever we want. We stop remembering who said what when about what engagement on such-and-such a date, because we have fully archived email and calendar services for all of that. And we instead devote more mental energy to figuring out how to combine the wealth of information now at our hands into interesting things. Those interesting things might be blog posts or cat GIFs or novels or theories of the universe or personal relationships. The bottom line is that the more we all participate in this world, the more we come to depend on it. The more it becomes the world.

I wonder if we take in the detail we used to.  I wonder if our mental architecture is shifting, and I wonder if it’s such a good thing.  The Economist blog wonders if this makes us more dependent on this world companies are shaping for us.  What do you think?