How to Use a Company’s Annual Report to Ace Your Interview :: Process Essays

How to Use a Company’s Annual Report to Ace Your Interview If you don't take the time to get know a company, you many not have a future there.   Your interviewer will ask you why are you looking for this particular position and why are you looking at ABC, Inc.   Start by telling him or her that you have read ABC's current sales record "in their annual report."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Company sales are important even if you are not interviewing for a sales job.   If you have reviewed several years of annual reports, you can easily see if the company's sales have gone up or down. Asking questions about the company's sales during an interview scores lots of points because it shows you have done your homework.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   You can get ABC, Inc.'s past annual reports directly from the company, the public library or the Internet.   The annual report may not tell you how well the company fares within the industry, but it will tell you everything you need to show your interviewer how well you can fit into the company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Once you obtain a company's past annual reports, review the most recent report first. At the back of the report, you will find the name of the auditor, somebody like Smith and Smith Accounting.   Reputable companies use a certified public accountant to show that the accounting methods used in the report conform to "generally accepted accounting principles."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Now turn to the front of the report and find the letter from the chairman of the board, whose personal style will be reflected throughout the report. The director will discuss the direction of the company, so pay attention to how he plans to run things in the future and whether he thinks the future looks positive for growth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The company's financial growth is very important to both the company and to your salary requirements.   You may not want to crunch the numbers yourself, but you will want to understand the balance sheet, the status of the company's finances at a given date.   On the left are the assets, all of the organization's valuables.   Current assets are those that the company can convert quickly to cash.   On the right are the company's liabilities-what they owe.   Current liabilities are the company's debts due in one year, paid out of current assets.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Net working capital, is a key figure to watch only if you have several years worth of reports to compare.