Research · 13 min read
How to research an employer before an EA application
Move beyond values pages and identify the executive office, current priorities, operating risks and evidence the vacancy is asking for.
01
Pass one: understand the mandate
Start with the official website, annual report, strategy and regulator or government context. Identify what the organisation exists to do, where it operates and which priorities are consuming leadership attention.
- Purpose and business model
- Australian footprint
- Current strategy
- Major programs or risks
- Regulatory and stakeholder environment
02
Pass two: map the executive office
Identify the supported leader, their portfolio and the other executives around them. Use official leadership pages and public documents rather than assumptions from job titles.
A Chief People Officer in a hospital network may own workforce, culture, industrial relations and safety across thousands of employees. That predicts a different EA workload from a CPO in a 200-person technology company.
03
Pass three: interpret the vacancy
Highlight repeated verbs, named forums, application conditions and unusual responsibilities. These are signals of what the office struggles with or values most.
- Who is supported
- What decisions or forums recur
- Where deadlines come from
- What is unusually emphasised
- What the advertisement does not explain
04
Pass four: select evidence
Choose examples only after the first three passes. Align your strongest evidence to the employer’s environment while being explicit about transferable experience where you have not worked in the sector before.
Working checklist
Put the guide into practice
Read official strategy
Read recent annual report
Map leadership team
Review historical vacancies
Identify three operating pressures
Prepare five interview questions