Before your interview, research the firm/organization and find out whether it is non-profit, government, corporation or small business. The best place to look is their web site—look at all the pages on the web site to determine what types of services or products they offer. The web site will also provide some of the organization’s terminology that might come up in the interview. For example, if they are in the health care business, are they selling health care products to doctors and hospitals, or are they selling to the general public? If they are in the insurance industry, do they only provide one type of insurance (such as health insurance) or do they provide homeowners and automobile insurance? Who are their customers?
You should also find out the names of the officers or board of directors in case their names are discussed in the interview. Research the size of the organization, the budget, how long they have been around, and their financial status. All of this will prepare you for the interview and assist you with determining if the organization is the right fit for you. In this day and age, you need to know if the firm will be around for a while – you don’t want to be looking for a new position next year.
