Research, Research, Research

Showing up at an interview without having anything to say about the company or the industry is the easiest mistake to make and avoid if you prepare.

In order to impress the potential employer, the candidate needs to do extensive research about the organisation. It’s a great step to take even before sending off your application.

Find out details which can be beneficial to you. The company profile, annual reports, about us section, research and achievements should be glanced through. This quick review and knowledge present the employer that you have an interest in the organisation.

Do some research by doing the following

- Company website

- Social media accounts

- Press coverage

- Company blog

- Google Alerts – set up one up for the company.

You can then:

- Research their core mission. Not only are you ensuring they have clear goals, but also they have ones that resonate with your own interests and passions.

- Look at their business operations: How does the organisation make money? Who buys their products or services? Is the company a start-up, or have they been in business for a while? How have they grown over time? What industry is this company in? The answers to these questions will give you an idea of how stable this business is, what some of their immediate concerns might be, and how you could possibly play a part in their success.

- Get some awareness on any hot topics concerning the industry at the moment and state what you know about the organisation’s role and/or contribution and/or resolutions to them.

- Find out recent achievements the company has made.

- Research the actual interviewers on the panel. If you know what their names are, search them on the company website and have a look for them on LinkedIn. Pick out anything that tells you about them and their role in the company.

- Find out who the competitors are for the company and where they stand in terms of relation with them. You can find out whether the company is utilising different processes to their competitors.

- Check out the company’s employer reviews and testimonials. Employee reviews are beneficial too as they rate their employers, in that aspect candidates can check out company review sites like Glass Door for the scoop on what others think about the company. The organisation's social media sites are another great way to see firstly, what they say about themselves, and secondly what others are saying about them

- Get a good idea as to the size, scale and overall ethos of the organisation - how corporate, friendly, creative, or commercial it is. Pay attention to the content and tone of their social media posts as this is another great indicator of the organisational culture.

- Find out what their benefits & perks are - To attract ideal candidates, companies share their healthcare benefits and other perks, including stock options, flexible work schedules, or unique onsite facilities that may include gyms or catered cafeterias.

Do your homework and research the organisation and the industry, so you are ready for the interview question, why do you want to work for us/this company? If this question or any similar question isn’t asked, try to find a Segway and let the interviewers know what you know about the organisation.

Being knowledgeable about the organisation will work three-fold: not only will it wow the interviewers, it suggests you’re willing to go the extra mile but it’ll let you know what you’re signing up to ahead of time.

After doing all this work, it may be ever so tempting to showcase all you know during the interview. Our advice - be to do it strategically. Use the information to connect your knowledge, skills and experience to the person specification, objectives for the department, and overall vision for the organisation throughout the interview.

You’ll also be ready for the interview question, “why do you want to work for us/this company?” If this question or any similar question isn’t asked, try to find a Segway and let the interviewers know what you know about the organisation.

Be aware – some of info may be outdated. So double-check it’s all up to date.

Sounds like a lot of work but the ultimate reward could be landing that job. Spend the time, put in the work and be great - you only have that one chance to shine. Good luck!