From the course: Expert Tips for Answering Common Interview Questions

How to research a company before your interview

From the course: Expert Tips for Answering Common Interview Questions

How to research a company before your interview

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- I'm Linda Raynier, career strategist and coach, and I've helped hundreds of job candidates land their dream job offers. In this video, I'll teach you four key steps on how to research a company before you go into the interview. Step number one, check out the company's website and read it thoroughly. Besides going to the About Us page, you'll also want to check out relevant information targeted for the job that you're specifically interviewing for. So for example, if it's a public company and you happen to be in the finance field, you can visit the investor relations section of the website and look at previous financial statements for information. Step number two, look up Google News search and read up the latest news updates or press releases. The point here is to find out interesting news updates that might be relevant to your job and that might impact the work that you specifically do for the company. So for example, if there is a new acquisition that the company has just gone through, mention that you're aware of that and that you'll be able to contribute by using your relevant skills and experience in this area. Step number three is to find connections on LinkedIn and reach out to them. Go on LinkedIn and look up people who work at the company or who may have worked there in the past, who you happen to be connected with. Send them a message and setup a casual coffee or call date, just to chat, and get any insight or insider's tips that will help you in the interview. Also, be sure to look up the names of the actual people who you will be interviewing with. It's good to get an understanding of their background and experience, so that you're going to feel that much more comfortable once you do meet with them. And step number four, check out the company's social media accounts. Social media accounts are super important. Not every company is as active on social media, but Twitter, Instagram and Facebook can give you an inside look into the company's culture and what's important to them. They might post about larger trends and ideas and this will all give you a sense for what is top of mind for them. So to recap, check out the company's website, Google News updates, look up people on LinkedIn and review social media accounts. These are all ways to research a company so that you can get a good feel for who they are, what they do and what they've been up to.

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