Going into an interview without doing proper research on the company beforehand is never a good idea. Without any background information on the company, it can be difficult to confidently answer typical interview questions (e.g. “Why do you want to work here?” or “What made you apply to this position?”), ask meaningful questions of your own, and understand whether or not you will be a good fit for the company. Of course you will gain an in-depth look at the company during the interview itself, but familiarizing yourself with some basic company details can show you are genuinely interested in a role and are eager to one day bring your skills to the job in question. In order to prepare for a job interview, we’ve outlined seven tips for learning more about your potential employer:

Visit the company’s website

An organization’s website is a great starting point to learn more about the company itself. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to get a stronger understanding about the company and what their purpose is. For example, most companies will feature an “About Us” page that will give an in-depth look into the work that they do, their history, past projects, important partnerships, and more. Not being familiar with any of these aspects could imply you are not very interested in the position or did not take the time to learn anything about the organization, meaning you did not see the importance of the interview. After you’ve gained a solid understanding of the company, be sure to keep an eye out for any of the following six research topics.

Familiarize yourself with the company’s core values and mission statement

A company’s core values are the principles or concepts they consider the most important to uphold throughout their organization. Similarly, their mission statement can be a short message that summarizes these values into a simple explanation as to why the company exists including its goals and everyday practices. Not only will knowing what the company you are interviewing with stands for give you the opportunity to judge whether or not you possess the same qualities, but it can also be used to your advantage throughout your interview. For example, with an understanding of the skills or particular mindset that the company truly values in an employee and what they are looking for someone in the role to possess, you have the opportunity to use similar phrases or ideologies to give explanations of your own past experiences.

Research your interviewer(s)

When you know who you will be speaking with during an interview, you will be able to plan ahead of time in order to find similarities or common connections that will allow you to ask relevant questions or bring up specific shared experiences. In order to do this research, find your interviewer’s biography on the company’s website or check out their LinkedIn profile to learn basic background information about them. This will help you get a better understanding of who you are speaking with -- how long they have been with the company, what their exact job title is, and maybe even what past experiences have brought them to where they are now. While doing this research, remember to keep it professional. During your interview never ask personal questions or bring up very specific information about your interviewer. Instead, always let your conversations flow naturally.

Learn more about recent or upcoming events, products, or services

An interview is your chance to learn more about your potential future employer and ask specific questions to better understand where the company will be headed next. While you might not know the specifics about what is to come, having a general idea about upcoming events, products, or services that you have seen advertised can help you form specific questions about them and show your long term interest in the company’s success. In the event that you will be working specifically on any of these plans, it will also be a great opportunity to start brainstorming ideas and logistics in advance.

Read company reviews

Use sites like Glassdoor or Indeed to read reviews from prospective, current, and former employees. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to get an inside look at the company’s culture, day to day business practices, and overall employee satisfaction. You might even have the opportunity to find specific interview questions you can prepare for or read about previous candidates' experiences with the hiring process. This will give you the chance to really visualize yourself with the organization and question whether or not you want to be a part of the workplace described.

While reading reviews, remember to take what is written with a grain of salt. Reviews are written anonymously which means you might not know the specifics of the review -- who wrote it and for what reason. Additionally, remember to take into account when the review was written. For example, if a review was written a long time ago and the organization has since had a change in management or has completely rebranded, the reviews you find might not reflect the current company you are interviewing with.

Check out the company’s social media

Social media is a wonderful tool that gives organizations the opportunity to share timely updates, interact with customers, and show off their company culture. The specific information you find can differ on the social media platform you’re looking at, so keep this in mind throughout your research. For example, many companies will use LinkedIn to highlight their employees or day-to-day office experiences while the traditional Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram platforms might be more geared toward customer service and selling certain products or services. Therefore, be sure to check out all of their available pages for new perspectives and information.

Take a look at the competition

In order to successfully answer interview questions and form questions of your own, it’s important that you have an overall thorough understanding of not only the exact company you're interviewing for, but their general sector and its competitors, too. Once you have identified these aspects, it’s not necessary to do any in-depth research on the other companies, but have an overall understanding of what trends they are following, what they are doing similarly to the company you’re interviewing with, and what they're doing differently. What is working for them and what isn’t working? Use this to your advantage to answer any questions regarding changes you want to bring to the company or what direction you would take while working on a particular project.

Ready to start your research but still looking for your next interview opportunity? Contact Nexus today for a personalized recruitment experience. Our team is ready to help you find an opportunity that perfectly aligns with your skills. Click the image below to get started!

How To Research A Company Before A Job Interview