How to impress
Four employers from different industries tell us what sort of company knowledge candidates should show to make them sit up and take notice
Sandra Cheung, human resources officer, Oyster
Because of the kind of business we're involved in (the web), we'd expect anyone applying for a job with us to have explored our website. From that, we'd want them to have gained an understanding of our core competencies - that we do front-ends, back-ends, design, technical work, consultancy - in other words, that we're not just a web design firm. They should also have picked up some background knowledge about the company from the site - our history, how and when we were formed, and the development of our work.
Beyond that, candidates will stand out from the crowd if they are able to show a good understanding of the factors affecting our industry at the moment. We'd be impressed by someone who's made the effort to find out about our clients and the kind of work we do for them.
Pay attention
"If a candidate knew about publications in which we'd been featured, or awards for which we'd been nominated, that would make us sit up and take notice."
Oyster
Richard Compton, head of human resources service centre,Telewest
Generally speaking, information that a candidate might be expected to know would include:
Brief company history - mergers, takeovers, growth etc
Our products and services
Our size, both in terms of employees and financial measures (turnover etc)
Any recent press reporting or speculation (eg new product launches, joint ventures, initiatives, new advertising)
Something about our company culture
Our main competitors
If a candidate had made the effort to find out something that we know would not have been particularly easy to discover, they'd certainly stand out from the crowd.
It also shows initiative, drive and a desire to go out and seek information rather than having it spoon-fed. At the same time, having found out something about the organisation, there will have been an element of self-selection on the part of the candidate - if they hadn't liked what they discovered, they would have been less likely to follow through with their application.
Why research?
"We want to know if a candidate really wants to work for us, or if they're just seeking 'a job'. If we see evidence of research, we know that the candidate is interested in us specifically."
Telewest
David Coles, recruitment manager, Prudential UK
We'd expect candidates to have a general understanding of Prudential:
Our size
Main products
Our position in the financial services marketplace
The issues that our sector is facing
A lot of this information is available in the public domain: the impact of the new stakeholder pension legislation, for instance, and the way that companies like Prudential are responding to the challenges of this low-cost environment.
New technology has a big impact on the financial services sector. This is something that we'd expect IT role applicants to be able to show a clear understanding of. For example, the Work Flow and Image technology, which is used to reduce paper processing throughout the industry, is something we'd expect candidates to know about. A strong sense of how technology can be used to achieve tangible benefits, together with a grasp of how it relates to the broader business climate, is indispensable across the board.
Not sure about insurance?
"We've found that candidates we interview tend to be weak on knowledge about our company and industry group."
Prudential
Helen Martyr, human resources adviser, Greenpeace
We will expect candidates to have researched the work that we do, and applicants to specialist positions will obviously need to have specialist knowledge. We'd also expect people applying for jobs with us to have good general knowledge of the environmental issues we work with.
Valuing values
"Most important, every time, is a personal belief in Greenpeace and support for the values that we represent."
Greenpeace
Next: Part three: Start searching
Back to top
|
 |
 | Need an extra boost?
You have the contacts, you know where you're going, but need help getting there? For as little as £65, career specialists can smooth the way to the job you want.
Start here
|  |
 |  |
 |
|
|
