Not knowing anything about the potential employer can quickly eliminate your chances of winning an interview. Apart from everything else (which includes practicing interview questions and knowing interview etiquette), doing company research is an important step to follow before attending a job interview. Most of the applicants make this mistake even when they are aware what benefit employer research can actually bring them.

If you want to gain a competitive advantage over other job applicants and wish to impress the interviewer or the hiring manager quickly, you should know how to conduct a company research for maximum benefits.

Online Resources
There are various online resources that you can utilize to know more about a potential employer, business or company. Though the most comprehensive sources of a company’s information (its objective, mission and goals) is always its own website, there are many other platforms that you can always exploit to dig out much deeper. Knowing other people’s feedback is also a useful thing to know more about a company’s work culture, environments, employee benefit programs etc.

There are many websites that provide you top-of-the-line business information about companies around the world. One such example is Hoovers.com. This is certainly a good resource to collect business or work-related data about a company or employer. In addition, there are several review websites that you can check out to know people’s views about different companies.

A good idea (aside from checking a company’s own website) is to have a look at its competitors’ websites. This kind of company research can provide you with something really valuable, which you can use as an extra benefit for winning over the interviewer or the hiring manager.

LinkedIn is also a good platform to collect some essential details of a company and achieve success with your research. No matter which online sources you make use of, always focus on collecting data like latest developments, strategic goals, specialized projects, work culture etc.

Offline Resources
Company research can also be conducted by using an array of offline sources or mediums. Most of interviewees miss out on some of the most valuable resources that they can use for the purpose. Business publications and industry related magazines are excellent tools that you can use to know more about a business, industry or employer. The public library can prove to be of great help in this regard.

Friends or colleagues can also provide you in-depth information about a specific company. If you know someone who works in a company or has worked there in the past, you can hope to get a good feedback from them. This is something like background check, which you also use to make a good career decision.

Calling the HR department is also an excellent idea to do some research on a specific company. If you can’t know much after using other available sources, you can also decide to talk with someone in the HR department. You can ask them about company’s policies, departmental functioning, future business targets, upcoming projects etc.

All of this effort is aimed at improving your chances of winning over the interviewer with how much you know. The more you know about an employer, the better signal you’ll send to the hiring manager. It’s a proven strategy to get ahead of the competition and score the job offer.

It's quiet easy to make a list of resolutions and announce that you have some interesting new year resolutions. Professionals or jobseekers also make plenty of career resolutions. But how many of them are really able to keep those resolutions. Remember, it’s not the career resolutions that you make matters. What’s truly important is whether you’re ready to keep them.

Given below are five tips that you can use to make sure you fulfill those new year career resolutions successfully.

#1. Ensure You Make Reasonable Resolutions
Yes, this is the most important piece of advice that you can use. While you may feel tempted to make a list of interesting career resolutions, you need to make sure they are reasonable or realistic. If you can’t keep your word, there’s simply no point in making resolutions.

#2. Think of Resolutions as Goals
Now, that you’ve prepared a list of achievable career resolutions (and filtered out those that are impossible to fulfill in your current situation), it’s time to change the way you look at them. The word resolution has almost become a cliché that people find interesting to use and brag about among their network of contacts. Change your attitude. Think of resolutions as goals.

As soon as you start thinking of resolutions as goals, it creates a sense of gravity to your purpose. Quickly, resolutions become actionable. The biggest benefit of this change in approach is that resolutions become measurable, when you look at them as goals.

#3. Put it on Paper
This is surefire strategy that even businesses use. Don’t just keep those resolutions in your mind. When you write them down, you become more serious. There are very few people who’ll bother to put down their new year career resolutions on paper. When you have the resolutions written, it won’t ever skip your mind. You can always go back to the written document and keep them fresh in your mind so that you may continue on your path to keep those career resolutions without wasting your time.

#4. Take One Step at a Time
If you try to work on a big goal, it might just overwhelm you or even discourage you. Goals become achievable when you break them up into smaller easily achievable chunks. By dividing the goals, you can keep your focus and complete one step at a time. Obtaining each of the smaller goals takes you one step closer to the big goal (career resolution). And don’t forget to relax a little and celebrate after fulfilling each of those smaller goals.

#5. Announce Your Resolutions Publicly
Keeping those new year’s career resolutions becomes easy when you announce them publicly. Share your goals with your family, friends, co-workers and colleagues. When you share the resolutions publicly, you really feel yourself really accountable. And if you can’t fulfill those goals, you’ll really embarrass yourself among your network of contacts.

If you follow the above mentioned tips, you can be sure to follow your goals till you have obtained them. If you’ve already made a list of career resolutions, it’s time to fulfill those promises.

You may not always feel happy in a current job. In order to land better career opportunities, you may decide to switch to a new job. That’s really how you should think of plan, because those who aren’t prepared to move on or can’t muster up the courage to step up and grab better career opportunities are no better than dead wood.

 

If you want to conduct a job search while already employed, there are some essential tips that you need to follow.

 

#1. Apply Only for Relevant Job Positions
Since you’re already employed, you can use it as a big benefit to gain an extra edge over the competition. To use your current job experience as a benefit, you should always look for similar or relevant job positions. The fact that you are not unemployed offers you the advantage to think carefully and look at the detailed job description before you decide to apply for the same. This will save your time as well as increase your chances of landing a better job opportunity.

 

#2. Be Careful about Listing References
While writing the resume or submitting the job application for an advertised position, you need to take extra care. This is because using references or recommendations from your current company might not be a good idea. Regardless of the kind of deep bonding your share with your co-workers and colleagues, it’s always advisable to use references from your previous or past jobs.

 

#3. Don’t Conduct Job Search in the Workplace
Searching for jobs in the workplace is never a good idea. This is against the company policy or employer’s rules and regulations. In case you’re caught red-handed, it might cost you the current job. In maximum number of companies, the HR department keeps track of such activities. It’s safe to use a home computer or outside computer for this purpose.

 

#4. Don’t Burn Bridges Only Because You’ve Decided to Move on
Professionals don’t burn bridges. If you see yourself as a true professional, never ruin your workplace relationships in any way. Even after moving out of the current company, you can use your existing network for future career benefits. Just maintain a positive attitude. And continue to move on with plenty of confidence.

 

#5. Serve the Notice Period Before You Leave
According to a company’s specific policies, you’ll need to serve the notice period before leaving. Many jobseekers leave an employer at short notice, which damages professional relationships. If you get hired in the new job, ask the employer politely to give you the required time.

 

By following the above mentioned tips, you can always expect to have a safe career journey. I really believe that every job is temporary. Don’t underestimate your talents in any way. If you have some unique skills or capabilities, you have every right to sell the same at the best price. However, you should learn the art and science of making yourself quickly saleable to potential employers.