16 Things to Research About a Company Before you Interview

I read an article that said “47% of interviewers said they wouldn’t offer the job to a candidate if they had little knowledge of the company”. My initial reaction was shock at how many companies would write off a potentially good hire because they didn’t research their company.  Although that’s not a stat I can confirm or deny, I can say there are so many positive reasons for you to research the company beforehand.   

Think of how many hours a day we spend at work.  You want to enjoy going to work everyday and you want to work where people share the same values as you.  If you accepted a position without knowing much about the company, you could quickly realize that you don’t enjoying going to work everyday.  If you don’t enjoy what you do, you will find yourself starting the job search process all over again.

Let me tell you a quick story.  Years ago, I was interested in applying for a company where all I knew about their business was that they were involved in agriculture.  At first, agriculture and farming seemed boring to me.  But, I heard from many people what a great employer they were so…. I explored further.  After doing the research I discuss in this article, I learned so much about the company and what they do and my first impression turned into excitement. 

They weren’t just the farming company I though they were…. they were a company who vastly supported and partnered with the Indigenous community (huge to me) and I connected with the fact that all their efforts contributing to feeding the world!  Researching the company showed me that I could work for an organization like this because we shared the same beliefs and values.

I didn’t end up going to work in agriculture.  But, I still follow this company on social media because I want to keep up to date on what they are doing in the areas that interest me.  I am invested in the company, and I support them, even though I don’t work for them. 

Let’s get to the 16 things you can  research about a company before an interview.  I encourage you to complete some of these steps before you submit your application.  That way you can tailor your cover letter and resume directly to the things that you learn about the company.

 #1:  Review their main website page

There will be a bucket of main categories on each employers’ website.  These will talk about things like:   what their company is about, what products and services they sell, the careers they offer and the newest and most visited features their customers would use.   Look at this page to get an overall feel of what’s most important to the company.

 #2:  Dive in to the “About Us” Section

This section gives you a summary of what their business is about, how long they have been in business and the history of how they got to where they are today.  If you are short on time, this will be an important section to focus on because you will have a high-level overview of the entire company. 

#3:  Check out the key players in the organization

This section may be in the “About Us” section or it could be labelled something like “Leadership” or “Corporate Profile”.    If I see this section titled “Leadership” it’s a good indicator to me that they have a strong leadership focused on their people.  In my mind there is big difference in a leader versus a manager!

Look to see if the leaders started in the company and worked their way up.  Pay attention to the details that are in their profiles.  Are they just listing factual information or are they talking about things where you can learn more about them as a leader and how they support the company work culture. 

#4:  Review the vision and mission statements

This is where you will learn about what guides the company, the people and the customers they serve.  I read an excellent article that described the mission and vision statements like this: 

“The mission statement focuses on today and what the organization does today and the vision statement focuses on tomorrow and what the organization wants to become.”

I have been in the Corporate world for over 20 years, and this is the best and easiest way for me to clearly understand the difference between the two!  

#5:  Look at the pictures on their website

Some of the best employers include pictures of people working in the actual jobs.  You can see what it’s like to work there and see if you can you picture yourself there.  If Diversity is important to you in an employer, can you see that throughout the pictures? 

#6:  Review the careers section

This section is going to tell you lots about the types of positions they hire for, the compensation they offer and the benefits they offer.  You need to make sure these will align with the needs of you and your family in order to have a good work and life balance.  Review this information, BUT, save any specific questions about wages, benefits and time off for when you receive a job offer.  If you ask questions too early about things like “When do I get time off”, managers may question your intentions. 

#7:  Look at what awards they have won

Are they being named a top employer consistently over the years?  What areas are they being awarded for and are these things that are important to you as an employee?   

#8:  See how they describe their work culture

Every company has values that all employees share in order to meet the overall goals of the company.  Many great employers I see describe their work culture as innovative, customer focused, committed to social causes and supportive of a team culture that is able to grow and continuously learn.  It will make you stand out if you can highlight examples of similar values in your cover letter, resume and interview responses.   

#9 Review their learning and development section

If career growth is important to you, you want to see what opportunities will be available when you start in the company.  Will they offer training opportunities and chances to advance from the position you are hired into? 

#10:  Look for employee testimonials on the website

Look through the site to see what employees are saying about working there.  What types of positions are they in, are they talking about career development and professional growth opportunities and what was their career path like in the company?  How do they describe the best things about working for the company? 

#11:  Check and see if the company has a blog or news section or …..google them

What top stories are coming up? Are there things you love about the current events, or any red flags that would not jive with your work values?  What kind of customer reviews are they getting? This will give you up to date news about the company.  This is great information to discuss if the interviewer asks what you know about their company. 

#12:  Learn who their competitors are

Interviewers will sometimes ask: “Who are our competitors?”  This question is usually asked to see how much you know about the industry the company is in.  It’s also a good indicator of how much you prepared for the position. 

#13:  Search glassdoor to see what employees and interviewees say about the company

If you haven’t discovered glassdoor yet, now is the time you should.  You can sign up for a free account and learn about things like employee reviews, salary reviews, benefits offered at the company and what the interview experience was like for candidates.  Reviews can be left anonymously so that encourages people to be detailed and honest about their personal experience with the company.   

#14:  Check out their social media sites

What types of things are they posting and do they make you want to work for them because of what they are sharing?  Could you see yourself being an ambassador for the company? 

#15:  Visit their LinkedIn page

If you haven’t signed up for a LinkedIn account yet, now is the time.  The basic plan is free and this is a valuable tool for your professional career.  I describe it as professional facebook type account where you can network for future career opportunities.

Look at the company profile and then search for employees that work there.  How do they describe their positions and what types of things are they sharing on their page.    Request to join the employees’ network, send them a private message thanking them for the connection and interact with some of the posts they have on their page. 

#16:  Research the interviewers…a.k.a. your future boss

If you have the names of the people who are interviewing you, search them on LinkedIn and other social media sites.  Look to see what content they are sharing to see if you have shared interests.  This can help you to break the ice and make an early connection with the interviewer.  Don’t go and tell them you were directly searching for information about them – sprinkle in shared interests when you have a chance in the interview.      

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Researching a company beforehand can only benefit you in the long run.  Imagine the following scenarios:

Scenario 1: 

Interviewer:  It’s great to meet you.  We would like to start off by asking what you know about our company.
Interviewee:  Well, I know that you guys have a large mine that you built in Saskatchewan a few years ago.
Interviewer:  Yes, that’s correct!  Is there anything else you know that interested you to apply here?
Interviewee:  Well, that’s all I really know…. but I’m sure I will find out more from you guys today.

Scenario 2:

Interviewer:  It’s great to meet you.  We would like to start off by asking what you know about our company.
Interviewee:  I have followed your company for a few years now.  I was excited to hear about the economic opportunities that came from your expansion in Saskatchewan.  l know you have a goal to give back to the community to develop the youth of our province.  I share that goal and volunteer my knowledge and time to our new employee mentorship program with my current employer.  It sounds like coaching and mentoring has helped your staff develop in technical areas that were hard to hire for previously.  Mentoring new employees has so many benefits for their development and for the organization as a whole.

Scenario 2 definitely kicks butt! 
 

So, you decide…. which of these is most beneficial for you to do before an interview?  Is it worth your time and investment to spend time learning about your potential employer?  How many of these actions can you see yourself doing?

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