How to Research a Company for an Interview

An important part of your career development is changing job roles (either onto more senior roles or changing industries completely). As such, you will be required at times to look into prospective companies that you are interested in working for, to see if they would be a good fit for your next role.

In this article, we explore why research is so important, discuss what you should be looking for, and show you the best ways to carry out the research.

Learn how to prepare for an interview

Why is it important to research a company before an interview?

Before accepting a job interview, it’s advisable to always research the company you’re planning on interviewing with, thoroughly. This serves two purposes. First, it should increase your chances of getting hired because of the level of understanding you have about them. Second, it should help you to decide if the company is a good fit. for you. 

Learn how to prepare for a second interview

What should you be finding from your research?

By the time you have concluded your research, you should have a good idea for which direction the company is heading (you want to join a company that is expanding for the right reasons and not on their way out), how many staff they currently employ, and get a feel for their expansion plans in the next 12 months or so.

You should also get a feeling for how successful eh business is in their marketplace. For example, are they winning awards each year? Do they make the national news for business success? Is their CEO prominent and vocal on social media channels with lots of engagement from their followers? All these things can help you paint a picture of your potential future company.  

Read our latest interview tips and advice.

6 Things to research before any job interview

• The skills and experience the company values.
• Senior Leadership Team members within the organisation.
• News and current events surround the company.
• Culture, mission, and values of the company.
• Clients, products, and services.
• The person interviewing you.

What is the best way to carry out research on a company?

Company Website

Your first port of call should be their website, paying particular attention to their 'About Us' page. You can learn a lot of information about the business from their ‘About Us’ and ‘News’ sections (which often includes company successes via a blog page).

You are looking for information on the size of the business, the number of employees they have, the scale of the business and growth plans, the overall ethos of the organisation (how friendly, creative, corporate, or commercial they are), and evidence of any awards they’ve won or major clients they’ve brought in.

Social Media & Networking sites

The next place to do some research is on social media and networking sites like LinkedIn. Again, this serves a few purposes. First, you get to see the kind of people working there and second, what they’re posting about, and the information they share as a business, which should highlight areas they’re looking to boost or improve.

Recruitment agent or consultancy team

You have a good (although sometimes biased) source of information in your recruitment agent or consultancy firm. They will be able to tell you the number of employees this company has hired, how many people have left early on (or stayed for the long haul) and can get a feel if you would be a suitable fit for the culture of the business. They can also let you know if you have the qualities the Hiring Manager is looking for, and they will often have good insider information on this to highlight in your interview.

Explore our full range of training courses and qualifications

One way to boost your career development and succeed at the interview stage is to earn industry recognised training qualifications, to help you gain the skills and knowledge required in more senior job roles, or to change departments.

We have a wide range of training courses for you to choose from, so get exploring today. You can speak with one of our Course Consultants on +44 (0) 20 3198 7700, or fill out our contact form, and someone will be in touch shortly.