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Going for an Interview - Part 1 – Company Research

6th October 2016

So you're going for an interview. You will need to know lots of relevant information about the company who are interviewing you. Any interviewer wants an interviewee to want to work for their company in the job they are recruiting for. Doing extensive research will convince the interviewer that you are serious about your application, and ensure you are a viable contender for the job.

What sector is the company in? And how do they fit into the sector?

If you discover that the company has a particular role or market share in the sector that you know a lot about this may well help you when answering some of the questions, and give you relevant information to share. It might also highlight the companies competition and will increase your knowledge of the sector overall.

When was the company formed? It seems like a simple question but what this will do is show you the type of heritage the company has. It will give you an idea of whether this is a long-standing company or a new company. Longer established companies sometimes have greater demands and there will also be more to find out about them. Make this a key research area of yours and find out more about their history.

What is the reputation of the company? This will give you more of an idea of what type of questions to expect. If the company has an excellent reputation, which is what you will hope for, then they may well be more thorough, and expect you to be potentially more serious about appearance, attitude and expectations. All companies are serious about what they do and they will expect to see that reflected in you and the answers you give.

Who are the company’s customers? The type of customer that the company deals with may well result in you having to deal with those particular people. Are they the general public or are they niche businesses? Are customers based purely in the local area, UK or overseas? Would you be able to give examples of working with the types of customer that these businesses work with?

What is the working environment of the company? Is it an office or a warehouse environment, or something that potentially might be more casual. Do you have experience of working in this type of setting? If you do, keep that in mind but make sure you mention it to the individual interviewing you. This is something you could use in your answers and will make you sound more informed and with the appropriate experience.

Researching the company will not only help you answer the questions above but will increase your interest in the company and job itself. From an interviewers perspective, interviewees that take the time to understand their company appear more informed, interested and generally are much more employable candidates.