Research That Company
If You Want the Job!

Beginning a career in interior design necessitates graduating with a bachelor's degree from a program of study that is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. Throughout your classes you will develop and refine drafting, sketching, rendering and other communication skills. You'll also learn about codes, environmental issues, construction details, business issues, design theories, materials applications, and history.

Graduation day arrives! You did it! You developed several top-notch resumes for yourself listing all your skills, talents, interests, and experience, each with a different focus, i.e., small firm, large firm, residential, commercial. You posted the resume on a couple of career sites and you mailed it out to several companies. You followed up with phone calls, and now you finally have that first interview scheduled! This means you are on the downhill side of job-hunting…..or does it?

According to Harriet Hagestad, president of Imageleader Consultants in Dallas, Texas, the number one complaint heard from companies who are in the process of expanding their staffs is that potential hires know nothing about the companies with whom they interview. The potential hires are attending the interviews totally uninformed and unprepared to discuss the possibility of their own futures within those companies.

The most important step they should have taken was to research the companies prior to interview day, and the internet is an excellent resource. According to Ms. Hagestad, the following information can be located on the internet and should be researched prior to any interview:

• Where is the company located?
  
  
• Are there branch offices in other regions or countries?
  
  
• What size is the company?
  
  
• Is the company privately or publicly owned?
  
  
• Is the company in the top 100 of its kind in the nation?
  
  
• What benefits and/or perks does the company provide its employees?
  
  
• Does the company provide child-care resources?
  
  
• Does the company provide opportunities to be an expatriate to work overseas?
  
  
• What is the company's reputation to both the public and to its competitors?
  
  
• Who are the company's competitors?
  
  
• Has the company had any financial difficulties recently?
  
  
• Does the company consistently have a high turnover in employees?
  
  
• Will the company assist in furthering your education?
  
  
• What types of benefits and/or perks are offered to new hires?

The Securities and Exchange Commission (www.SEC.gov), Ms. Hagestad says, is an excellent resource for much of this information. Additionally, as you assess each company, you can learn if they are launching new product; adding new divisions; whether the company has a website; if the company promotes e-business; or if the company has a tendency to promote from its own ranks.

"Do your homework before the interviews by researching," according to Don Monaco of the Strickland Group in an article we wrote on Monster.com. Mr. Monaco further concurs with Ms. Hagestad by stating, "You should become familiar with the organization's products, structure, services, financial status, competitors, reputation, and any recent major changes."

Another internet resource is the financial section of Yahoo.com if the company is publicly held. In this section, each company listed on any of the stock markets will have its own page noting the day's progress of its stock, press releases about important items within the company, and message boards with comments from stock holders and employees. Other resources include the local ASID and IIDA Chapters, local magazines, and the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners, the overseer of Title Registration of interior designers in the state of Texas.

The bottom line, according to Ms. Hagestad, is that a potential hire should be ready to answer that one tricky question which is always asked, "Why do you want to work for me?"

Editorial provided by Jan Parker, FASID, IIDA.