How to research the company before a job interview
A common complaint of hiring managers is that job candidates fail to research the company before a job interview. For example, one survey of 500 interviewers found that failure to do research prior to the job interview was the most common interview mistake, followed by showing off, and not asking any questions.
Researching the company is one thing employers really want applicants to do. And yet, anecdotal evidence suggests that most don’t. So, doing your research before the interview will set you above other candidates and ahead of the game.
Why should you do your research?
Showing up well informed and well prepared is a sign of interest and initiative. Showing up not knowing anything about what the company does or who works there is not going to make a good impression on anyone.
Researching the company means finding out as much as you can about the business, its products and services, the company culture, and the people who work there. Start with the company website and social media pages, tap your network for information, and don’t forget good old Google.
Here are the steps we’ll cover in this article:
Visit the company website
Look at LinkedIn
Ask your network
Scroll social media
Just Google it
Put it all together
Now, here’s how to research the company before a job interview.
Step 1: Visit the company website
Look at the “about” section, where you should find a company description and may find a story or history. What are the mission and values? Who are the key players? Look at the products and services section and familiarize yourself with what the company offers. Look at the news or media page and read any press releases. Visit the career page to learn about the company culture. Read the entries in the company blog. Figure out who the target market is.
Step 2: Look at LinkedIn
The company’s LinkedIn page can tell you more about what they do. See how many employees there are and look at employee profiles to see the type of person they hire. Read the company’s updates.
Read the profiles and posts of the management team and of the person who will be interviewing you, if you know who that is. See if you have anything in common that you can use to create a connection, like education or shared connections. See if you know anyone who works there who can put in a good word for you.
Step 3: Ask your network
Speaking of people who work there, if you know anyone who does, ask them if they can share anything to help you with your interview.
Step 4: Scroll social media
Check out the organization’s Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook. What sort of items do they post? How can you use this information?
Look at the social pages of your interviewer, if possible. Do they like knitting? Golf? Dogs? Cars? Do you support the same social causes? These things can give you more conversation fodder with which to build rapport during the interview. Be careful not to look like a stalker. It’s OK to say you saw them on IG and to touch on some common ground, not to list everything you know about them and make it clear that you combed through everything they’ve ever posted.
Step 5: Just Google it
Google the company to fill in any gaps. You never know what you might find. Check the news for anything of interest. Have they gotten venture funding or made any major changes? A lot of companies will put out news releases about important hires and new products or research. Have they won any awards or been recognized for something? Are they expanding into Latin America or being sold? Many businesses are lax about posting to their media pages and don’t have the PR people to stay on top of it, so you may learn about new products or any news that might not have been posted in a media release on the company page.
Step 6: Put it all together
Use the information you gather to show your interest in the interview. Bring up topics that may be relevant to the role for which you’re applying and that can help you build rapport. Talk about what you have learned! Showing that you know what the company does and who the people are, and that you cared enough to research the company before the job interview, will take you a long way towards landing that job.
