10 Things to Research Before Going Into Your Interview
By Holly Garets
Every advantage counts during an interview. One easy, often-overlooked way to stand out is to research your would-be employer.
Every single candidate will have skimmed the company’s Home and About pages — so go above and beyond. You’ll learn valuable insight about the organization as well as prepare yourself for common interview questions.
But what should you research?
- The company’s mission and values: Knowing the mission and values of the company helps you to understand whether your own values align with the organization. Plus, during the interview, you can try to demonstrate those areas of value alignment. This is usually found on the company’s website.
- The company’s performance: Be sure to review any financial data that’s available. This will help you understand what the future of the company may look like.
- Any recent updates: Use a search engine to find out whether the company has been in the news recently, put out any press releases, or made announcements. This demonstrates your interest in the company by showing your initiative to stay informed.
- The company’s industry and competitors: Knowing what the industry challenges are and how the company differentiates itself sets you apart from other applicants. Research the company’s website, blogs, case studies, and white papers to better understand the company and how it tries to position itself in the market.
- The company’s services and products: Understanding what the company offers its customers allows you to paint a verbal picture in the interview of how your skills apply to its relevant offerings.
- Company culture: You need know if the company is a good fit for you and whether you would enjoy working there. Read reviews, blogs, and testimonials from current and past employees to give you a sense of how you might feel working for the company.
- Role responsibilities and requirements: It’s important to understand the sought-after role. Review the job description and requirements so you can tailor your answers to demonstrate you have the skills necessary to be successful at the job.
- The Interviewer’s background: If you know who the interviewers are, research their roles and professional backgrounds to provide insights that can drive a meaningful conversation.
- Interview process and format: Find out what you can about the interview, such as how many people will be on the panel and whether it will be virtual. If virtual, make sure you can log into that software beforehand to test audio and video settings. This will help the interview start on time and give you peace of mind that you can focus on the interview, not tech issues.
- Questions to ask the interviewer: Having thoughtful questions about the company and role shows you’ve taken a genuine interest in the company. Questions can be about the role, team and company culture, or the company’s future.
What’s the throughline? Your research should allow you to clearly match your skills to their needs in their minds — help them imagine you in this role, and it’s practically yours.
Audigy helps its member practices becomes employers of choice — head here to learn more!