Researching the company you are interviewing with before your interview is really important. This may sound like an obvious point to make, but surprisingly it is an area that people forget about or feel it’s not that important, or if they do they don’t do enough digging.
Researching the company will help prove your enthusiasm during the interview and will also help to show that you are a serious contender for the role.
In this article we take a look at what information is important to look for and where you can find it. It won’t take long and it will definitely increase the chances of you impressing at the interview…
Company website
Yes it’s an obvious place to go. We suggest you take a look at their mission, values, culture, projects, office locations, sectors they work in and the size of the business as a minimum. This will give good background knowledge on the company, which will help when the interviewer asks you what you know about them.
Who’s interviewing you?
Most people like to know who they’re meeting before they actually meet someone, and it shouldn’t be any different when it comes to an interview. It’s up to you how much research you do on the person who will be taking the interview, but the least you should do is look them up on LinkedIn. Look at their position in the company and their role and get a feel for who this person is in relation to the role you are interviewing for.
Knowing about the person who’s interviewing you can help focus you with what questions to ask during the interview. It can also help to make a judgement on if you like them when interviewing, so if they’re going to be your direct report or someone you will be working with closely on a regular basis, then it’s important you can see yourself working with this person.
Company profile on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a good place to research other employees of the company. You may know someone who you could contact to let them know that you are interviewing for their company… they may even put in a good word for you!
You’ll be able to see who your potential colleagues would be, find out their experience and background before joining the business and to see how they progressed within the business since joining. It’s always nice to see promotions on their profiles, it shows that their are genuine progression opportunities within the business.
Utilise your Recruitment Consultant
If you’ve worked with a recruitment agency to secure the interview, the first point of call should be the Recruitment Consultant who helped you secure it. They’ll know a lot more than just what their website can offer. They will also know the person you are interviewing with and will be able to give you some good info and tips on how to interact with them and get the best out of the interview. So pick their brains!
Looking for a new engineering job?
If you are looking for a new engineering job or considering your options get in touch with us and we can discuss what you’re looking for and how we can help you get your next job
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