"THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT COMPANY BEFORE JOB INTERVIEW"

 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT COMPANY BEFORE JOB INTERVIEW

1. The Company’s History 

This kind of research is one step further still (and a lot more difficult) – discover what you can about the company’s history!

Learning the history of the company (things like take-overs, business partners, past News stories and recruitment drives) will help you to predict the future.

2. The company's Competitors

you may already have faced the question ‘who do you think are our main competitors?’ in an interview before.

It’s a pretty difficult one to answer, particularly if you don’t know the industry (and haven’t done your research) so we always recommend coming up with a few good examples!

Answer well and you’re guaranteed to impress your interviewer.

Simple really, but people often forget this vital bit of research!

3. Management

You should really do at least a little of research about the management team of the company (although it’s not the most important thing on this list).

If you can name-drop, it’ll be pretty impressive – so for example – if you know that the owner of the business has written an award-winning book, you could bring that up.

At the very least you should be aware of who’s interviewing you and who your line manager would be, with some knowledge of their background.

4. The Company Mission.

A company’s mission statement basically reflects the reason why they do what they do; the reason they came into being and the values they hold (these usually remain unchanged).

For example, The Coburg Banks mission statement is to… ‘become the recruitment company most admired for its people’ and all of our values are in line with that mission.

It’s highly likely that you’ll find this information on the company website (although sometimes, you may have to do a little digging through the mish-mash of pages), brochure or other marketing materials.

If you can’t find a specific statement, then you’ll have to use your initiative with the information you can find out – how do they portray themselves, what values do they advertise?

During the interview, make sure you take advantage of whatever you discover, showing off how well your values match the company’s!

Sample Answers....

What do you know about our company?

1. “I know you’re one of the biggest providers of payroll software, and you were founded in 2012 when your CEO realized many small businesses spend far more than they should on payroll, which hurts their growth. The story on your website’s “about us” page was interesting, and it seems like there’s a big need for this product based on how quickly you’ve grown. I read that you doubled in size last year, and you are on track to do it again this year.”

2. “I know that your company is one of the largest investment banks in the US. Your headquarters is in Raleigh, NC, and you have 25,000 employees worldwide based on what I read on your website. I’ve known about your company for a couple of years now because I’ve been working in this same industry. Your company is one of the names I think of in this industry, which is why I was excited to apply for this job when I saw it posted on your website.”