I got such a great response from everyone on the infamous question, "what are your weaknesses?", that I thought I'd try to get everone's input on this question.
When I first interviewed for my last job, I did extensive research on the company. When the interviewer asked me what I knew about the company, I gave her a 5 minute lecture on her company's history.
I've had a few interviews in the past few weeks and in one case, when I was asked that question, I flat out told him, "I don't really know very much about this company, that's why I was so excited about this interview. I wanted to learn more." That got me a job offer!
So I guess my question is, how important is it REALLY to do research on the company you are interviewing with?

do your homework or get stuck with a ****ty ass job.

you don't research a company to come up with a good answer to that question because any answer you give will be incomplete.

you research a company to be able to ASK intelligent questions about the company in general and the position you want in particular.

I've interviewed a TON of people; not having good questions is more of a killer than just about anything else.

Ol Jock, do you mind giving us some examples of "good questions"?

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you research a company to be able to ASK intelligent questions about the company in general and the position you want in particular

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Bingo!

You should be interviewing them as much as they're interviewing you.

I know you're getting a little impatient, but go into each interview with informed questions that you would liked answered to find out if the position is the one you want.

[This message has been edited by p_bubel (edited 5/23/2007 10:06p).]

go halfway with what you know about them... then have them fill in the holes.

Jock hit it on the head. Research is about you asking them questions. For example some of the things I remember asking in my interview for my current job were things such as:

"I notice that the company has a lot of partnerships with other software companies and vendors. Are these partnerships on a solutions level or on a development level, where I, as a developer, might be working with some of those companies?"

"The list of the clients I could find was quite impressive, but I noticed a leaning towards the aerospace industry. Is that the main market for yoru software right now? Does the company plan to make an effort towards breaking into other industries?"

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lago

Send me an email @ lb1lb2@yahoo.com. We are considering making a change with our IT guy or position. I can go into it more with you. Drop me a resume and salary history.
Thanks

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This was on another thread and I wasn't sure whether you saw this or not.

[This message has been edited by queso1 (edited 5/24/2007 12:51p).]

Lago:

In your experience is it acceptable to disclose racist beliefs during an interview?

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flat out told him, "I don't really know very much about this company, that's why I was so excited about this interview. I wanted to learn more." That got me a job offer!

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Is it possible you got the offer inspite of this answer?

Rudyjax,

I guess its possible. That is why I asked the question. If you meet their qualifications does it really matter what you say? I think its another case of "not what you say, but how you say it."

Its kind of funny. The only job offers that I got were for jobs that I knew I didn't want in the first place. I interviewed to learn more about the positions, but mainly just to practice interviewing. I walked into those interviews with a lot of confidence. Actually, I walked in there overconfident. Almost cocky. But the interviewers loved that.

queso1,

Why do you ask? Do you have an interview coming up? But to answer your question, I'd keep your experience as a Jim Crow Law attorney on the "down low."

SNAP!!!!

[This message has been edited by lago (edited 5/24/2007 2:09p).]

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I think its another case of "not what you say, but how you say it."

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It's almost always how you say it as opposed to what you say.

Most interviewers know if they like you in the first 20 seconds. It's how you speak and present yourself.

What kind of positions have you turned down, and are you going to get a job to pay the bills?

You may not know this, but the longer you're unemployed, the harder it is to find something else.

Lago - did you see the quote I put up earlier on the thread? Not sure if you saw it.

Rudyjax,

I turned down some insurance sales jobs, retail jobs, and phone center jobs. I guess I never thought about the consequences of going without a job for so long. I may just have to swallow my pride and ask for my old job back. My last boss said he would take me back anytime.

queso1,

Yeah, I saw your quote you posted earlier. I already emailed him. Thanks.

Lago,

If you don't find an honest job soon, you'll be swallowing a lot more than your pride...

Words of wisdom from queso1's mom...

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Lago,

If you don't find an honest job soon, you'll be swallowing a lot more than your pride...

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you should at least know some highlights about the Company. I was just on the aTm campus in April interviewing and that is the 2nd question I always ask behind.... "Can give me a brief discription of yourself?"...

This one girl said she could not... it was the first time that I ever expereinced that. I told her I was going to give her some advice...and that was to do some basic background on the company she is interviewing with before the interview. I thought it was rude of her to waste my time and that I had read her resume before the interview.

granted i do not know your personal situation, but i think i would have had a job already lined up, or at least in the works, before i quit...

He had an offer rescinded after he resigned.

Lago

My brother delivered pizzas and worked in a call center for 8 months while he was seeking a professional job. This was after he had received his MBA in 2002 when the job market for MBAs really sucked. He was also limited to finding a job in Dallas because his fiancee had a job here.

The moral of the story is that sometimes you have to work a crap job so you can pay your bills until an appropriate job comes along.