Research Checklist Prior To Interview

To stand out in an interview, it is important to research a company's core business, mission, culture, and recent developments. Here are the top items to look into:

What They Do

Understand their primary products, services, and target customers. Be able to explain it simply.

Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

What makes them better than competitors? Is it price, quality, or innovation?

Industry Positioning

Who are their top competitors? Know the major players in the space.

Mission & Vision

Read their "About Us" page to understand why they exist and where they are going.

Values Alignment

Identify if their values (e.g., sustainability, innovation, community service) align with your own.

Culture & Environment

Research on Glassdoor, social media (LinkedIn, Instagram), and employee reviews to see if it is a "hard work/play hard" environment, a startup, or more corporate.

Press Releases

Look for recent mergers, acquisitions, product launches, or expansion plans.

Financial Health

For public companies, review their recent quarterly earnings reports (10-K) or news regarding their profitability. For startups, look up their funding history on Crunchbase.

Leadership Team

Know who the CEO, founder, or key executives are. Look for their recent interviews or articles.

The Interviewer

Research the people interviewing you on LinkedIn. Look for shared connections, previous companies, or common interests to build rapport.

The Hiring Manager

Try to understand the background of the person who will be your direct supervisor to anticipate their management style.

Key Skills

Analyze the job description again to identify what skills the company values most for this specific role.