What to research before an interview

Have you got an interview coming up in the next few days?

Having a look at the company’s website and understanding what they do ahead of your interview should be a given, but should you do more than that?

As you prepare for your interview, looking deeper into the company will make you better prepared to answer their questions and showcase yourself as a strong candidate.

So what else should you learn about your potential future employer?

The company’s culture and values

It’s not enough to know what the company does, but also why they do it. Doing so should give you an indication of what it will be like to work there day-to-day and will enable you to confidently showcase your suitability for the role.

Think about your own values and how they align with the companies and bring these examples to the fore in your interview.

Be sure to not only check them out on their website but also their social channels.

The skills and experience they value

This can be linked back to your research into the company’s culture and values and you can glean information from places such as the job posting, their team and career pages and employee testimonials.

Understanding what they look for in their employees enables you to position yourself as the best available candidate when you’re in their interview.

It will also help you determine whether or not they value skills and experience in people that you would want to work with.

The key people, including who is interviewing you

Knowing a bit about the company’s leadership team and those who’ll be on your team can be helpful in your preparation. Finding out more about the types of roles they’ve done and the companies they’ve worked for might help you better understand how they’ve grown and shaped the company you’re applying to.

There’s also a chance you might meet one of them at the interview stage so having an idea of who they are will be useful.

Similarly looking into the person(s) interviewing and their background should give you an advantage and can help you connect and spark better conversation.

Recent news and events involving the company

Has the company been in the news lately? Is the company launching any new products or services? Has it received any recognition or awards recently?

Showing you’re on top of news, trends and events concerning the company will give off a good impression in the interview and will also give you the chance to ask some great questions about their growth plans, products, services, and overcoming pitfalls (if the news has been negative).

Look to see if they have a press release section on their website as well as looking at online trade press articles.

Who they work with, their products and their services

Understanding their clients, their customer base, what they offer etc. will show the interviewer you already understand the type of work you’ll be doing when you join and with who, and you’ll be more prepared for your interview.

Typically this information can be found on their website in the form of client testimonials, case studies, and research, as well potentially in the news and industry publications.

You can use this information to your advantage in the interview to demonstrate who you might target or what you can offer to the clients they already have.

Now, of course, researching all of these won't guarantee success but in our experience, they will help to set you apart from the candidates who haven't looked beyond the company's 'about us' page.

Interviewers like to see candidates who have done that little bit more; it shows enthusiasm, initiative and a desire to do well, which are all qualities they will be looking for.