How to Research a Company Effectively Before Your Interview
Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2025 9:37 am
Research, research, and then research some more for good measure. You’ll find this advice in almost any article written about getting ready for a job interview. But why is researching the company so important? And how should you actually go about it?
There are clear benefits of doing your research. In any interview, you want to come across as engaged, knowledgeable, and genuinely enthusiastic about the role. By showing that you know plenty about the company and have taken the time to research them, you’ll quickly tick all those boxes. Several interview questions are aimed at finding out just this, with a common example being ‘Tell me what you know about the company’. Getting caught out on a standard question like this could cost you dearly.
A good interview will often feel more like a conversation. You might be under the microscope, but if you have a meaningful discussion with the interviewer you’re more likely to make a good impression. This means you don’t always panama phone number resource want to feel that you’re on the back foot, and having a good knowledge base about the company can really boost your confidence.
So instead of heading to an interview in the dark, follow our guidelines for how to go about researching a company thoroughly. You’ll find yourself far better set up to answer their questions, and to ask pertinent questions of your own.
The company website
The company’s own website is the obvious place to start – but you shouldn’t just take a cursory glance at each page and consider yourself done. There are certain things that you should be looking for, and making notes on.
First of all, you need to make sure you’re as familiar as possible with all the products and services the company provides. If you don’t know what they do, no interviewer will take you seriously when you say that you’re keen to work there. By carefully going through their website, you should not only learn about their products, but also about how they choose to pitch these to potential clients and customers. This will give you an insight both into the company and those they aim to do business with.
Many websites will also include a list of company values or a mission statement. By becoming familiar with these, you can make sure that your answers to questions like ‘why do you want to work here’ or ‘what do you like best about this company’ are in line with their message. Of course, this will work best if your enthusiasm for their mission is genuine, so take time to consider whether it really sounds like the place for you.
There are clear benefits of doing your research. In any interview, you want to come across as engaged, knowledgeable, and genuinely enthusiastic about the role. By showing that you know plenty about the company and have taken the time to research them, you’ll quickly tick all those boxes. Several interview questions are aimed at finding out just this, with a common example being ‘Tell me what you know about the company’. Getting caught out on a standard question like this could cost you dearly.
A good interview will often feel more like a conversation. You might be under the microscope, but if you have a meaningful discussion with the interviewer you’re more likely to make a good impression. This means you don’t always panama phone number resource want to feel that you’re on the back foot, and having a good knowledge base about the company can really boost your confidence.
So instead of heading to an interview in the dark, follow our guidelines for how to go about researching a company thoroughly. You’ll find yourself far better set up to answer their questions, and to ask pertinent questions of your own.
The company website
The company’s own website is the obvious place to start – but you shouldn’t just take a cursory glance at each page and consider yourself done. There are certain things that you should be looking for, and making notes on.
First of all, you need to make sure you’re as familiar as possible with all the products and services the company provides. If you don’t know what they do, no interviewer will take you seriously when you say that you’re keen to work there. By carefully going through their website, you should not only learn about their products, but also about how they choose to pitch these to potential clients and customers. This will give you an insight both into the company and those they aim to do business with.
Many websites will also include a list of company values or a mission statement. By becoming familiar with these, you can make sure that your answers to questions like ‘why do you want to work here’ or ‘what do you like best about this company’ are in line with their message. Of course, this will work best if your enthusiasm for their mission is genuine, so take time to consider whether it really sounds like the place for you.