You need to be prepared for every job interview; not being prepared is reckless, and most candidates are reasonably prepared to answer basic questions as to why they want to work for a specific company. But there is a rub. Since everybody is prepared reasonably enough, candidates who are best prepared do stand apart from the crowd. Here are some ideas on how you can outshine your competition.
- Size of organization
For companies that are known and have good name recognition, this is an easy question to answer. But how well do you know the size and the products or services of the company with whom you are interviewing? This will become important, for example, where a division of a large corporation acts as a relatively independent unit. On the other hand, other organizations are very connected globally, changing the business climate and the way things get done, substantially by employing more chains of command.
- Financial reliability:
Major companies that are traded publicly are likely to be less risky than smaller companies. So the smaller the company, the more it is important that the candidate understands the financial condition of a potential future employer. Checking for successful acquisitions or completed projects can be a very important index. Is the company appearing to shop around looking for different focus areas? While not necessarily bad, this could be an indicator that it has not reached the stability you may want.
- Chemistry:
Chemistry, or culture, is a critical aspect to know about the company you are interviewing and an area that can be investigated in an interview. Getting to know as many individuals as you can in the organization and listening to their views, both business and personal, is an important area of research. The people directly responsible for interviewing are not enough to get the full picture. Smart companies have interview panels made up of employees from different levels within the organization. And smart candidates would ask to be interviewed by such a panel.
- Business Segmentation:
It is no longer straightforward to determine what sector of the oil and gas industry a company occupies. Producers are now much more prone to work exploration and exploitation, onshore and offshore, and domestically and internationally. Each of these segments is influenced by its own set of business rules and drivers. As a future employee, you want to understand all the different business segments of the prospective company, since you may be required to use a number of different skills and tools, and as the future employee, you will have to be ready to accept change in new environments.
Do the best you can to be prepared for your interview.