At Freshminds, we’re committed to helping our candidates prepare well for their interviews. So here’s our top 5 guide to interview research.
1. Learn the basics
• Company website: A company’s website advertises everything that a company is proud of – their culture, their clients, their successes.
• News websites: Make sure you know what the company has been doing– look out for any press releases, controversies, pending mergers.
• Corporate literature: Check if the company is part of a sector body or if they’ve featured in an industry league table recently. It’s worth checking out online sector forums.
2. Stay on track
In order to be able to differentiate yourself, we would advise having a solid understanding of the following:
• Company culture
• Company structure – different teams and where this role sits
• Key products and services
• Unique selling points
• Who are their competitors and how do they differentiate?
3. Ask around
Do you know someone who works in this sector or company? It looks great in an interview if you know a bit about the company from the inside, although beware of name-dropping past employees… you never know why they may have left.
4. Get to know your interviewer before you meet them
• Get a Linkedin account! Check out your interviewer’s work and education background, along with what their specialities are. Remember when you look at someone’s profile, they may know unless you alter your privacy settings.
• Find your interviewer on Twitter for similar reasons.
• These tools may also link to a company or employee blog.
• All of this will help you avoid you making any serious blunders!
5. Ask on the day
Don’t be afraid to go in prepared with some intelligent questions that feed off the research you’ve already done (“I see you’ve worked with lots of financial services clients, do you do very much with other sectors too?”)
Other key questions:
• What are your goals over the coming year – 5 years?
• What growth have you seen over the past 5 years and how have your goals changed etc?
All of these demonstrate a natural curiosity and genuine interest in the company.
Freshminds' Candidate Managers are always on hand for extra career advice and top tips to firstly get the interview and then get job!
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