Do Your Research Before the Interview

Common sense should tell you that if you’re going to an interview unprepared, you might as well just stay at home. However, JobsByFax has found that a surprising number of hiring managers name their biggest pet peeve with interviewees is lack of preparation. Although it’s great to prepare a list of intelligent questions relating to the company, it’s not the hiring managers job to spend valuable interview time educating you on something as easy as what products the company sells. There are some things that you should already know.

Finding basic information about the company you are interviewing for is as easy as a visit to the company website. So what should you know about the company prior to the interview and what should you ask when you get there?

When doing your research, look for answers to the following questions:

• How old is the company and approximate number of employees?


• What products and/or services does the company sell and who is their primary customer?


• Does the company have a solid reputation among it’s competitors and the public, in general?


• Are there offices in other locations and where are they? Where is the corporate office?


• Have there been recent employee layoffs?

So where do you go to find the answers? The company website is the most logical, but don’t limit yourself to that alone. Keep in mind, you won’t find anything negative about the company on their own website and they will likely not tell you anything unflattering during the interview. You will have to dig a little deeper to find a truly objective source of information that may enlighten you to the bad, as well as the good. Google the company name and you will likely find newspaper articles, press releases, and financial reports. For the informal and unbiased information, turn to business blogs and social networking sites.

During the interview, impress the hiring manager with intelligent questions about the company that would be difficult to find through research. Some examples include:

• What is the management style of the person that I will be reporting to?


• What are the growth prospects for this position?


• Describe a typical day/week that the person you hire can expect in this position?


• How much travel is expected and is relocation a possibility?


• What do you like most about working for this company?