Showing Commercial Awareness throughout your job search
Showing commercial awareness when applying for jobs is important for demonstrating your understanding of how businesses operate within their industry and the broader economic landscape. But what is commercial awareness? Commercial awareness is understanding what’s going on in the business world. Then, being able to apply this knowledge to your local market. Sometimes interviewers will also ask questions surrounding commercial awareness. As a result, it’s vital to be able to display commercial awareness skills throughout your job search. Here’s some ways you can show commercial awareness:
Keep up-to-date with news and market trends
Make sure you highlight on your CV how you stay updated on industry news, market trends, and major players in your chosen field. As keeping up to date with market trends and industry news is vital to showing commercial awareness, as they can impact how a business will perform commercially in future. Follow relevant publications, blogs, and social media accounts to understand the current landscape.
Within Law it is always important to know of any recent case studies and reported cases in your chosen discipline. Importantly, make sure you demonstrate this knowledge when applying for roles and at interview stage. – Siobhan Courtney, Managing Director and Legal Recruitment Consultant covering London, Home Counties and Ireland.
During job interviews or networking events, share your insights on current market trends, emerging technologies and consumer behaviour that could potentially impact the business down the line.
Research the business
It is imperative to be able to demonstrate your knowledge of your industry, it’s competitors, and the firm as a whole. Look on the news section of the website of the firm you are interviewing at to see if they have highlighted anything. This:
- Proves you have done your research on them, and
- May give you some ideas on questions to ask them or about the local business fraternity as a whole.
Look at their website, social media, and any press coverage they appear in. Also, look at websites like Glassdoor, Google reviews, and other review sites to read reviews from both employees and customers.
Make sure to thoroughly research the business before the job interview. Moreover, understanding the company’s goals, challenges, and opportunities, allows you to tailor your responses during the interview to demonstrate how your skills and expertise align with their needs. By integrating this knowledge into your conversations, you not only highlight your awareness but also illustrate your potential value to the company. This demonstrates that you would be a proactive and well-informed team member. – Duncan, McIlroy, recruitment consultant specialising in Financial Services.
Demonstrate problem solving skills
Explain in the interview how you’ve identified business problems in and outside your role, and how you overcame them or proposed solutions.
Consider business problems the company you are interviewing at might face and how they might be overcome. Hiring employers value candidates who can think critically and offer innovative ideas to facilitate business success.
Get to know the customer
Take the time to understand the company’s core customer base – their needs, preferences, and what makes them tick. Share how your skills and ideas could make a positive impact on boosting customer satisfaction, keeping them coming back, and turning them into loyal fans.
Continuous Learning
Demonstrate your willingness to continuous learning within and outside of your job role. Consider any certification you’ve been rewarded and any workshops or online courses you’ve attended. Emphasise your commitment to enhancing your skills and staying updated on industry developments.
Case studies
Study real-life business cases studies to understand how companies tackle challenges, adapt to market changes, and capitalise on business opportunities.
CSR and Volunteer Work
Have you undertaken any pro-bono work, supported any charities or done any volunteering? Consider relevant experiences like these, what you’ve gained from them and how it’s enhanced your skills as a professional. They are great talking points in a job interview, and there’s also questions that you can ask about their CSR activities / plans. Also, apply the experiences back to the business environment and consider what employers will get from it. For example, marketing opportunities, positive brand awareness etc…
Networking
Networking both in person and online is a great way to increase your reputation and gain visibility within your market, to expand your customer base. Make sure to mention any networking opportunities you take part in regularly, as well as opportunities you participate regularly in to build your online connections.
About Us
The Eventus Recruitment Group source the best job opportunities for talented professionals in Law, Legal Finance and Financial Services. Award-winning recruitment consultants, we offer support to job seekers at every stage of the job search process. This includes CV writing, arranging job interviews and in-depth job interview preparation. We hold an in-depth knowledge of the very dynamic legal and finance markets, so we can help you prepare appropriately and pass on our own commercial awareness to you. For more information, or for help with your job search, contact us today.