Being well prepared is a vital component of the interview process. As I mentioned in my previous article, doing your research on the company is just one of the several steps you can take to prepare. Here are a few of the key elements you should especially focus on when researching the company before your interview:
- Familiarize yourself with the company’s services and/or product offerings that are listed on the website. Having a general understanding of the day-to-day operations is important so that you can ask educated questions about the work you will be doing, which will ultimately open up the conversation and enable you to gain a more thorough understanding of the company’s objectives.
- Gain insight into the interviewer’s background. It’s a good idea to explore the interviewer’s LinkedIn profile and prepare personalized questions ahead of time to make connections. This will enable you to carry out a more impactful conversation. Many company websites now link out to their staff’s LinkedIn profiles to make it easy to find them. Here you might find out where the interviewer attended school, or groups he/she is involved in. You may have more in common than you thought!
- Be familiar with the company’s values and mission, and evaluate how they align with your values. Obtain a general idea of the community outreach the company is committed to. Maybe this is something you’d like to ask more about or get immediately involved in. Additionally, be aware of any other company initiatives, and discuss ways to get involved so that you can exemplify your leadership skills. For example, Kreischer Miller recently launched its RISE Women’s Network. An interviewee might be interested in discussing this initiative, and ways he/she could potentially contribute to the network.
- Do a general Google search on the company so that you are aware of any relevant news and press releases. Also, you might find it helpful to look at the company’s social media pages (if they have them). Social media often gives insight to the company culture and provides important updates.
Ultimately, researching the company ahead of time will allow you to feel much more comfortable during an interview. The interviewer will likely be impressed that you’ve invested your time in learning about the company, and it shows that you are excited about the potential opportunity. Most importantly, the interviewer will likely anticipate that your successful interview will be indicative of your future performance!
Molly Klein is a Marketing Manager at Kreischer Miller. She joined the firm in 2017 after graduating from Loyola University Maryland with a bachelor's degree in marketing. In her free time, Molly enjoys traveling, spending time with family and friends, and hiking. Contact Molly at Email.
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