Researching a company before an interview has become the new norm. It might take some work and you might not be able to get all the information however, you should always show up for an interview prepared. Making that extra effort can go a long way in landing a great job. Here are seven tips on what you should know about a company before the interview.
- What the company does: Don't show up knowing nothing about the organization. Do your research. Find out what their products are, what they do, what their mission and values are. Being clueless shows that you don't give a damn about the job and nobody wants to hire that person.
- What the role is: What is the job? What are the required skills and qualifications? Know what they are and demonstrate that you have them.
- Who your interviewer is: Find out what the interviewer's name is. Get their job title and look at their LinkedIn profile. How long have they been in the role? Do you have anything in common? Also, it just helps to be psychologically prepared for whoever you are about the meet.
- Who their competitors are and what they're doing: The goal of any company is to rise to the top of the market if they are not already there. This means crushing the competition. So, if you can show up with some understanding of what that competition is - and, even better, some ideas for beating them - you're golden.
- How the industry is doing and what challenges the company might face: Is the industry booming or Is the company facing a PR fiasco (Chipotle)? Knowing this will help you assess what challenges they might be facing and, if you are in a position to do so, come up with some solutions to present. If your role is not directly related to finding solutions, you should still at least be aware of what's going on.
- What the people are like: Hiring managers are all about fit, to the point where they will overlook a fantastic candidate if they don't think the person will fit in with everyone else. Do your best to find out what people wear to work and what sort of environment it is. Then you can decide how far you want to go to seem like a fit. (Or decide you don't want to work with these people after all and cancel the interview)
Source: http://careers.workopolis.com/advice/seven-things-you-should-know-before-the-interview/2016
