When getting ready for an interview, the worst thing you could do is go to an interview unprepared about the company. Not only does it make you seem like you aren’t interested in the role, it also gives the interviewer the assumption you were just applying to apply, and not for the AMAZING opportunity with “ABC” company! I recommend you do your research prior to applying for a job so you know the company culture, strengths, benefits, core values, etc. and you aren’t wasting anyone’s time; however, if you haven’t already done your research, here are some tips on how to research a company pre-interview so you are ready to knock the interviewer’s socks off!
Company Strengths
The internet is full of information. It is a great tool for looking up the company you are interviewing with, without looking like a stalker.
The first place you should go when researching a company is the company’s website. The tab you will want to locate is the “About Us” tab. This SHOULD tell you their size, location, company history and maybe even the company core values. From the information provided, you should be able to pick out where the company has strengths or possible weaknesses. Strengths are specific things that stand out from the company’s competitors.
Competitors
If you aren’t familiar with the company’s competitors or what makes them stand out from their competitors, you will need to visit the competitor websites. No one wants to work for an average company, so understanding what the company has over their competitors will be a great advantage.
Social Media – Community interactions
Social media can also be a great tool during the research process. Social media allows people to interact about a company in real time. Not only is it a good idea to look the company up, you can also look up their competitors. LinkedIn should be your first social media stop. You can learn about the company, people that work for the company, and even see the profile of the person you are interviewing with.
If you aren’t familiar with the company’s competitors, find the company you are interviewing with on LinkedIn, scroll down to a section titled “Other Companies People Viewed”, this will show a list of companies. These are the company’s competitors!
The second place I would stop would be Glassdoor. On Glassdoor.com you can find company reviews, interview tips, typical questions that are asked, salary averages, etc. This is also a great place to find out about the company culture.
Your last stop will be Facebook and Twitter. What are areas they focus on? What are they blogging about? How many followers do they have? What are people saying? What is the interaction like? All of these are talking points you could bring up during your interview.
Healthy Financial Record
For most large companies, you should be able to access annual reports. These reports will cover a variety of topics including new products, company risks, and whether revenues are growing or stable.
Some of these reports are very detailed, try not to get caught up in everything that is laid out. The information from these reports are to help you speak intelligently and insightfully about where you think the company will go in the future, backed up with facts.
After all this research, what do you do with all this information? Remember that your objective is to be convincing when you say, “I want to work at your company.” Being able to talk about what makes the company unique, and express your enthusiasm by showing off your knowledge, will show exactly what you’re talking about.
