Do your homework

This past weekend I was preparing for a job interview at a photo sharing, publishing and storage e-commerce company. I am excited about this opportunity for I've been a user for a few years now and understand the business and products. Deepening my knowledge, I spent time online searching for the latest news,financial reports and blog chatter about the service. I did this to not only deepen my knowledge, but to help develop and refine my thinking for strategic insights and business development recommendations to share during the interview. Given the competitive job market, it's more important than ever to bring to an interview thoughts on what can be done to build a business as opposed to just having deep knowledge of the present business. This may seem like a "well, duh" insight, but according to comments made in the "Where the Jobs Are: Special Report" on CNBC, this may not be a focus for many interview candidates.
So how does one do this? Do your homework! Get to know the industry the company plays in and most importantly, understand the forward looking trends. I ran several Google searches on industry related topics (opposed to company)such as "digital photgraphy," "photo printing" and "self publishing" to gain insights on where the industry is heading on a macro level. I also read through a few tech and photo blogs to understand the latest industry and consumer thinking about the industry and the company. Lastly, I took note of how I use the product, how I take pictures and share, what devices I use to take pictures with. There is no better way to gain insight than to USE THE PRODUCT.

Note that this process will take time. Don't start the night before the interview...an interview is like a mid-term and final exam, but the grade has a financial impact on you. Once you've digested the data, the trends, etc. brainstorm with your friends, spouses, significant others, etc. I found conversations with others about the product insightful. For example, I learned that many of us share the same frustration that there is no easy way to bulk upload and share all the pictures on our Smart Phones. I also learned that many people are using their Smart Phones to take pictures...and find themselves using their digital cameras less. I took these insights, gathered data on Google and formulated a recommendation to share during my interview. Cool.

I learned that I am one of 3 other candidates for this position. I know I've done my part in positioning myself as a valuable player for this organization. Now it's up to the company to decide who is the best "fit" for the job. That is completely out of my hands.

Turn off the pessimistic news...it's not that bad out there!

A week or so ago CNBC aired a special report called "Where the Jobs Are: Special Report" hosted by Erin Burnett and Carl Quintanilla. I was unable to watch the program, but was able to find the content online. I think the site is worth a review...and we all may want to find future airings and get it on the TiVo. I will focus my next several blogs on offering my point of view on this content from the perspective of a e-commerce/Internet marketing in the Silicon Valley.

I understand the fear of being unemployed that grips people. Not being employed and having an income is scary, but I think the pessimism within the market and country is exacerbating the problem. The CNBC report mentions that nearly half of all Americans FEAR of becoming unemployed and 90% say now is a BAD TIME to find a quality job. This language may reflect the sentiments of Americans...but is the fear warranted or does it inhibit us from finding the solution?

The unemployment rate in some states is hovering around 10%...but that means 90% of the people are employed. If I remember my econ policy class correctly, the unemployment rate during the Depression was roughly 25%....and capacity set idle for several years. Unfortunately too many politicians are saying "the worst economic environment since the Depression." These repeated statements reinforce the fear. Based on these data points, it sounds like we are NO WHERE NEAR that state of the economy during the Depression.

Now I am an optimist and see the glass half full. Since I've started my job search in early February I have found opportunities to explore. I've spoken to recruiters who have all said "there are jobs out there...just be patient." I've had phone screens, interviews...and have been doing A LOT of networking. But the opportunities are out there. All of us on the hunt must leverage our networks, apply new tools available like Jobaphiles or TwitterJobSearch and continue to do our home work for where opportunities may exist. Unlike the Valley in the mid 1990s where the jobs found us, we now must find the jobs.

I suggest that we all turn off the news for a while and get busy searching.

This too shall pass.