Guest Author - Linda Higgins

“Study the job description or the ad to determine key aspects. If you can download a job description from the employer’s web site do that, otherwise read and re-read the ad so that you have a clear understanding of what the job entails. This will give you an edge up when you are interviewing.” - Tip from the booklet Turn Interviews Into Offers.

Perhaps the most important thing you can do to prepare for an interview is to research the position you are pursuing. Most people perform only the basic amount of research to familiarize themselves with the hiring company. This usually includes reading the employer’s web site and possibly familiarizing themselves with their products or services. However, if you want to stand out above the rest and establish yourself as a Candidate of Choice; research not only the industry but also the job itself.

Recently I had lunch with a friend who is currently going through her own job search. She received a call from a company that owns a network of pharmacies who wanted to interview her for their Billing Manager position. She has previous healthcare experience and a strong management background, but not in the pharmaceutical industry. Admittedly, she wasn’t exactly sure what a Billing Manager would do for a network of pharmacies.

Instead of going into the interview uninformed and risk looking uneducated, she created a list of questions. This list represented the uncertainties she had regarding the prospective job. For example, she researched answers to questions such as:

How long does it typically take to bill and collect a payment?”
What if a carrier denies a claim or doesn’t pay you in 30 days? What happens then?
Are there any carriers who come to mind that are slow or difficult to deal with? If so, why do you think that's the case?”

She knew that getting answers to these questions would give her significant insight into the industry and most importantly the scope of the position itself. She knew if she had the answers to these and many other questions, she would feel confident and prepared going into the interview.

So how did she get answers to her questions? She sent her list of questions to her friends, family and other contacts asking them if they knew of a pharmacist that would be willing to meet with her. One of her contacts did indeed know of a pharmacist and contacted him. He was more than willing to sit down with her and answer her questions. She gained valuable insight into the industry and the responsibilities that a Billing Manager would have.

The meeting gave her a huge boost of confidence going into the interview. In addition, she was able to understand how her skills and experience would be relevant and was able to confidently communicate how she would add value to the company.

She has not heard back yet on whether she got the position but I think her chances of getting it are excellent because employers love when candidates have clearly done their research.

This is a great example of the type of research top candidates do when searching for jobs. It could turn out to be the determining factor that gets you hired!

Best of luck in your job search,
Linda Higgins