Prepare For Success - Final Formatted Copy

Prepare For Success
Stage One - Research Your Customers
Let’s consider researching customers, or in this case, employers. Before applying for a job – and
certainly before applying for interviews – research and understand the employer’s background.
This means more than just glancing at the website. It means reviewing their website closely and
systematically asking questions like:
• y ‘What are the company’s values
and do they align with mine?’
• y ‘How do they treat employees?’
• y ‘What are their products and
services?’
• y ‘How much market share do they
have?’
• y ‘Are they a leader in their field?’
• y ‘What do their customers say
about them?’
• y What do their employees say about them?’
• y Can I build a career here?’
Try to target employers you have an affinity with and to whom your skills and experiences and
values are well suited. This is what recruiters will be looking for, so you will be giving yourself
a head start if you adopt this approach.
Stage Two - Know Your Competition
All good sales people will research the competition to establish what they are up against. So
you must do the same by researching the candidate market place and understanding what
skills and experience candidates in the market place are likely to possess.
• y What specialist qualifications do candidates have?
• y How qualified are candidates in general?
• y What level of experience do they tend to have?
• y What skills do they have?
• y How quickly have they been promoted?
This will tell you whether you are pitching too high or low in terms of job opportunities, or
whether you need to update or improve your skills or experience. It will also tell you your
strengths and weaknesses compared to the market.
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