Interview Research: The 6 Top Resources to Give you the Upper Hand!

The interview is booked, you are psyched, you want this one.  Now where to start to ace this interview? The more you know about the company and the job, the more confident you will be for your interview, and the more likely you will make a good first impression (which is key!). Having good intel demonstrates you really care about this opportunity and helps you stand out from the masses.

Here are six resources to hit up. Got your pencil and notepad? Good… Let’s do this.

1.    WEBSITE. Yes, we know, this seems like an obvious one- but you would be surprised by how many candidates do not do their homework. They are too busy with their current jobs and life; or overwhelmed with the interview process in general to make this minimal effort. Don’t make that mistake. Websites highlight the basics. You need the 411 stat. For a pro-tip look on their site for the company’s values, mission statement and read up on their leaderships’ bios!

2.    JOB REQ. Again, this seems obvious; but the job description is the company’s wish list on what they are looking for in their next hire. Of all the great skills you have to offer make sure you are highlighting the skills you have that this potential employer is looking for. Think about where you have gained that specific experience + think of examples of how you demonstrated these skills prior to showtime.

3.    Social media. This is a good way to see how they market themselves, get a sense for the culture of the firm and their branding.

4.    News worthy. Google search the company and leadership to see if they have recently been in the news or any publications? Were they honored in any way recently? For example, finding out their Founder made The Forbes’s 40 under 40 is a good nugget of info to drop in the interview.

5.    LinkedIn – Check out their LinkedIn page. Sometimes you find you are connected to someone at the company that can put in a good word for you, or can give you some additional intel, interview tips or insight into the firm. In addition, Linked In gives good summaries and overviews of the company. You can see your interviewer’s background and see if you share anything in common. You can also see others that were hired to similar roles and get a sense of their backgrounds too.

6.    Glassdoor – This one is good to check out…. but proceed with caution on the reviews. You will always be able to find someone who has loved a job and someone who has not had a good experience at almost every company. Not every role or firm is everyone’s cup of tea. Sometimes you can see some negative reviews and those people may no longer even still be with the firm that caused the problems in the first place. What is most valuable is to read up salary ranges, positions offered, and other key company insights and statistics.

Doing a little research on the company you’re interviewing with is an easy opportunity to show off how resourceful, diligent, pro-active and interested in this role you are. This does not need to be an extensive research paper; you do not need to take hours to do this. Make sure you know what specifically about this firm you are genuinely excited about. What sets them apart from the other jobs you are looking at.

Be the prepared, stand-out candidate we know you are. Due diligence pays off. Wow them. BURKE UP. You got this.