Published: 21 April 2022
When you are getting ready for an interview, one of the things you’ll hear a lot is that you need to learn about the company.
But how exactly do you do this? Read on for tips on what kind of information you’re looking for, where to find it and how to put it to use.
One of the issues hiring managers raise a lot is that they’re sent hundreds of applications from people who don’t seem to know or care about their company.
It makes sense. There’s so much pressure to get a good job these days that many people apply to loads of companies without looking too closely at the business.
While that strategy might get you an interview, the lack of preparedness will really show when you sit down with them.
That’s why it’s so important to find out everything you can about the company before that point. It’ll help you stand out from the crowd.
Their website
The first port of call is their own website. While this won’t tell you anything objective about the business, it will give you a good idea of its history, current projects, and how they want to present themselves.
Look for sections related specifically to the department you’ll be working in but be sure to also get an impression of the company as a whole.
Read any news or articles they put out and make note of interesting facts and figures which you could quote in the interview.
Social media
Another outlet the company will use are social media sites. In particular, look for their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn pages.
This will be where they post their most up to date information so it’ll give you an impression of the things they’re thinking about right now.
It’s also likely to be your first experience of what other people think of them. Take a look through the comments and get an idea of the public reaction to the kinds of things they’re posting about.
News stories
Another way of getting an objective impression of the company you’re about to interview with is by looking at the media.
Try typing their name into Google and going on the new tab at the top. You’ll get all the latest stories about them which should give you a clue.
One thing to look out for are any new product or service launches. You could then bring that up in the interview to show you’re on top of the latest things happening in the company.
Who’s who
Related to the social media search, it’s a good idea to look up the people you have the names of on LinkedIn.
That could be the interview panel, your potential new managers and even the CEO.
You’ll be able to get an idea of their backgrounds, the things they care about and the culture of the company.
In particular, look for any posts they’ve written, the tone they use – is it casual or formal?
The more time you have to find out about the business the better impression you’ll be able to give.
Of course, make sure you prepare your answers to typical interview questions too but do not underestimate the importance of showing why you want to work there.
With a degree from the University of Sunderland in London, you’re positioning yourself for a brilliant career, whichever industry you want to work in.
For more information, go to our Careers and Employability page. You can also read about employability skills on our news pages.
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