It is common knowledge that it is a good idea to have questions to ask the interviewer when being interviewed for a new job. The interviewer will want you to have questions as it shows that you care about the job on offer and want to do well. If you display an understanding of the company before even meeting them, recruitment agencies like New Millenia will deem you as a favourable candidate. Let’s take a look at ways in which you can research the company and find questions you may want to ask the interviewer.
Visit the Company’s Website
The best way to begin your research of the company is to browse its website. On the website will be a range of things that will provide information to you about the company’s culture. This will include the company’s mission statement and history, management, and their products and services. This kind of information can usually be found in the “About Us” page on the site. If a site has a “Press” page, there will be multiple featured links on there that you can read through for further information. Make sure to pay close attention to the themes that repeat themselves across the site – the words that a company repeatedly use tend to be more telling than the stated corporate values themselves. Of course, many companies use hyperbole within their site content, but is easy to recognise at the same time.
Browse Social Media
In the modern age, every company will have a social media page – most will have multiple pages across several different platforms. Make sure to check social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see if they are active on there. From looking across their social media pages, you can gain a good understanding of how the company chooses to be seen by potential customers. If you follow or like the company to get updates, you can discover up-todate content and news that you would not have seen otherwise. On the other hand, you could discover some red flags by looking at their social media pages. If the company doesn’t have a well-managed social media site, this could infer that they are not in control of their public image and don’t recognise growing trends. If their social media is updated inconsistently then this could imply that the company isn’t professional and struggle to maintain consistency.
Use LinkedIn
A great way to acquire more information on a company that you’re intrigued by is to check their LinkedIn profile. Through this, you can see if you have connections with anybody working within the business, company statistics, jobs posted, new hires, promotions, and related companies. It would be advisable to reach out to your connections to the company if you have any – they will be able to share their experiences within the company and could provide you with great advice for when you are interviewed. See if you can find your interviewer’s LinkedIn profile too. This will allow you to gain an insight into their background and role, and you can determine whether you have any similarities or differences. Any common links with the interviewer could put you ahead of other candidates.
Make Use of Google and Google News
Another great thing to do before your interview is to search the company’s name in Google and Google News – this can prove invaluable. From this, you could discover the situation the company is in and if they have any future plans, like expanding to another continent for example. You could also find out if the company has been successful or unsuccessful in things they have done – this information could be massively beneficial when shaping your interview answers. Knowing this information will put you one step ahead of the interviewer.
