Employer research made easy

You need to research engineering employers to make great applications, boost your confidence and get a job. Read our tips – make it easier.

‘Research is important on two levels,’ says Graham Philpott, graduate liaison executive at Siemens plc. ‘Your time is precious, so you need to be as sure as possible that the company you are applying to is right for you and, equally important, employers want to recruit people that want to work for them.’ Gathering good employer intelligence is a strong indicator of your interest and enthusiasm. Graham points out that, given two candidates with equivalent skills, recruiters will offer the job to the person who demonstrates the greater desire to work for the organisation.

This shows the strength of researching employers, but many graduates choose to fly by the seat of their pants and try to scrape through on limited information. The sad fact is that poor employer research results in rejected applications, or a very uncomfortable experience in the interview room. A bit of time taken at the front end of job-hunting will give you a much stronger position in the selection process – it needn’t be a drag.

Put yourself in a stronger position – take time to gather intelligence on employers.

Be positive and practical

Draw up a quick list of questions you need answered. A good way to start your research and stay focused is to keep the end goal in mind. So, what’s your aim? Think about what you will want to know when you have finished your research. Work out what will make you feel enthusiastic about applying and facing an interview. Think also about yourself: what you like doing and what skills you’ve got. This will help you to collate the information you find and match yourself to jobs and employers. The employer information you need to research fits into three main categories:

Background information. Find out:

what the company does (products made/services provided)
where it is located
who its customers/clients are
where it operates and in which markets
who its main competitors are
how, where and why it is growing
what it is shouting about now.

Recruitment information. Find out:

what roles are available to graduates and what they involve
what degree backgrounds and qualifications are required
what technical skills and core competences are needed
what the recruitment process involves
contact details for applying
the application deadline.

Company culture. You need to:

find out about the company’s ‘core values’ and aims
think about how the company likes to see itself
consider how it is viewed externally
think about how you view the organisation
ask yourself why working for the employer appeals.

We’ve done some of the question legwork for you: download the employer research sheet to structure your research.

Loads of information

Answers to your questions can be found here at TARGETjobs.co.uk. Read career intelligence on engineering employers online and link to their websites. These days many employers also provide tips and advice on how to do well in their selection processes, as well as providing information about their graduate positions – make notes and act on them!

Glean wider information about an organisation from its corporate site – look at press releases and financial and market information. Cast your eye over information on past and current major projects, contracts or orders. Your university’s careers service should be another port of call – most interact with employers and alumni regularly to organise events and information for job-hunting students. You could get inside views from alumni or talk to employers when they’re on campus.

For ongoing intelligence gathering, follow stories in the trade press and quality national papers such as the Financial Times. You can also do this online – most papers have an ‘industry’ or ‘engineering’ header under their ‘business’ tab. ‘The websites of the national and trade press can often give a more critical view of a company than that presented on their own website,’ says Graham.

It’s for your benefit

Researching employers is in your personal interest and not just to impress recruiters with facts they may already know. Take the information you find and turn it into something meaningful for you and your job-hunt. If you like what you see and you feel that the company is doing work you are interested in, you will feel more positive when writing applications and attending interviews. You will also have greater confidence and enthusiasm if you can see how your skills, abilities and interests match what the employer wants.

You won’t be able to pin down everything, but that’s where the ‘Do you have any questions?’ part of interviews comes in. Initial research puts you in a position to ask questions that are useful and intelligent. It will also help you avoid blanks on your application and ‘ground-swallow-me-up’ silences in interviews.

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