Hiring is a Two Way Street.

I wonder how many companies understand that their recruiting processes are a two way street. While hiring companies are evaluating candidates, candidates are auditioning YOU.

As an example, many candidates I've spoken with have a pretty comprehensive intelligence gathering regimen, that includes some obvious tasks and some not so obvious ones.

1. Your Target Company website is usually a first stop to gather information about the company's industry, products, services, management, financials and values. It's a Cliff notes source of information about you. Poorly constructed websites or those with poor or boilerplate narratives say a lot about you. This one is a pretty obvious step - a great place to go for "the basics".

2. Google Alerts. Some candidates setup a Google alert (or some other Newsbot) on the company. They want to know whenever Company A's name is used on the web, whether in the mainstream news, or a mention in a blog. What other people say about your potential future employer can provide valuable insights. It's also a great way to stay absolutely current on company events, for a potential interview.

Google Alerts can provide links to individuals with investing advice on the company (i.e. the company may be purchased within the next year - or expect soft financial performance over the next 24 months. It can also provide you with links to fan websites (or dissatisfied customers, distributors or partners. They can also alert you to philanthropic and community initiatives.

3. Professional contacts network. Vendors are a great source of information about a company. If you have a solid professional network (consultants, service providers etc), they are usually willing to provide some additional insights into how easy the company is to deal with, strengths and weaknesses of their staff etc. Obviously the depth of the insights will depend upon confidentiality agreements and the strength of your relationship with your professional network (can you be trusted with the information?).

In one case, I was able to get insights into a department that I would be managing from a vendor who had just completed a big project for the company.

4. Personal contacts network (either your Rolodex or perhaps a networking service like LinkedIn or Plaxo Pulse. Candidates can use these to check out senior management at your target company or even anyone who happens to work at the company. You'd be surprised how much information your employees are willing to share with someone they've never met!

And depending upon your age and the kind of job you're seeking, social networking sites like Twitter, MySpace, Facebook might provide some additional insights.

5. Checking the industry competition (websites, financials) helps to provide some industry context to your target company. Is your prospective employer the lead dog or a bit player?

6. Personal experience with the target company HR recruiter. Are you treated with respect? Does the company answer questions or respond to follow-up communications promptly? If your first impression of the company is less than satisfactory, one wonders what the employee experience would be like. The Waiter Rule is always in effect.

So, if your company is having difficulty finding great candidates, it might be a good idea to perform a Corporate Self-Exam. Research your company in the same way your candidates do and fix what needs fixing.