When you go for an interview be sure you’ve done your research on the company and the hiring team.
The internet has made this research easier than ever and it really doesn’t matter what industry you’re in – you can find out something about the company.
So get Online, create a safe place to store your research (I would of course recommend Evernote) and research some or all of the following:
- Glassdoor profiles, employee reviews and behind the scenes life at the company
- LinkedIn profiles and associated business page on LinkedIn
- Who is interviewing you – are they on LinkedIn or other social site?
- Company website – what’s it like to work there, what do they sell/serve, who runs the company?
- Social Media – what are they presenting on their social media profiles – does it resonate with Glassdoor reviews or other sources of insights?
- Companies House will often show revealing information such as financial status, directors, accounts and any charges they face.
- Good old fashioned Internet search – what does it bring back?
The best approach is to do the research in advance and spend some time reviewing it all.
Try not to do this the day before or on the way to the Interview. A hiring manager often wants to know that you care about the business as much as they do – so the effort put in to research is key.
It’s also really great to put the effort in to researching who you will meet – you may find you share similar social activities, or know someone, or went to the same school. This is all great banter as well as showing that you’ve done some research.
As a minimum though, always make sure you know what the company sell/offer/provide.
Until next time
Rob..