How to Research a Company Before Applying For a Job

Researching a company before an interview is crucial for a successful job application. It is important to know how to research a company properly as the information revealed can be used in at least three stages of the job application process. This article will explain the importance of researching a company, when it is most useful, and how to do it effectively when preparing for an interview.

How to research a company and apply for an interview?

Conducting research on a company before an interview can have a significant impact on your decision and chances of getting the position. It is generally beneficial to research a company before applying for any position. Therefore it is important to know how to research a company effectively and what to research about a company before an interview. Generally speaking, there are three stages of the job search and application process where the information you've researched becomes useful:

1. Understanding the company culture

To determine whether you want to work for a specific company, it is essential to research the company's culture, working environment, and approach to career progression before considering the possibility of being hired or meeting their requirements.
By researching a company before an interview, you can assess if the company aligns with your beliefs or principles and if it can make you happy working there.
Knowing how to research a company and what to research about a company before an interview is the key to making an informed decision about your potential employer.

2. Aligning your skills and qualifications with the company's needs

When applying for a job, tailoring your CV and cover letter to the specific needs and expectations of the company is crucial to increase your chances of getting hired. This is particularly important for your cover letter.
To effectively tailor these documents, you need to have relevant information about the company and the role you are applying for. Researching a company before an interview, including information about specific skills or competencies, experiences, and work ethic and values, is essential in order to know what to research about a company and how to research a company for an interview.
Knowing how to research a company properly can help you tailor your CV and cover letter to match the company's needs and increase your chances of getting the job.

3. During an interview

During an interview, the interviewer must determine if you are the ideal fit for the role and the company. To successfully meet their expectations, it is essential to prepare for the interview by researching the company and the position you are applying for.
Researching a company before an interview, including information about the company culture and the specific expectations for the role, is the key to presenting yourself as the ideal candidate.
To know what to research about a company and how to research a company for an interview, you must have a clear understanding of what the company's idea of an ideal candidate is and align your qualifications, skills, and experience accordingly.

How to research a company and prepare before an interview

Depending on how much information is available, there are potentially a lot of insights that you can get by properly researching a company. This allows you to gather information about what's important to the company and to you personally. When you're researching a company, do the following:

1. Search for companies that share your values

Before assessing the needs of a company, it is important to consider your own preferences for a working environment and what constitutes meaningful work for you.
These preferences vary greatly among individuals and may include factors such as a company's values towards its employees, long-term career opportunities, social and environmental impact.
To understand what to research about a company and how to research a company for an interview, you can research company reviews written by former employees. This can give you a firsthand account of what it's like working for the company.
To gather this information, you can visit dedicated websites or check social media platforms.

2. Check for pay and benefits

When researching a company for an interview, one of the most important things to find out is the salary and benefits offered for the position in question. It is important to remember that certain employee rights are guaranteed by law such as minimum wage, sick pay, maternity leave, and paid holidays.
By researching what rights are required by law, you can determine the additional benefits that the employer might be offering. Some companies might offer higher-than-average pay, greater amounts of paid leave or other benefits such as discounted gym memberships or recreational opportunities.
This information is often detailed in the job advertisement. When you find a job on a website, you may find additional information about pay and benefits on the company's own website, usually linked in the advertisement. Carefully reading the advertisement can give you an idea of what to expect.

3. Look into the company's leadership

When researching a company for an interview, it is important to understand the individuals who founded or run the company as they have a significant impact on the working environment.
These individuals could be a single person or a group, including other high-level executives. To find this information, you can usually check the 'About Us' section of the company's website. This section often has specific information about the founders, top executives, and other key figures in the organization.
By researching the background of these individuals, you can also check their personal websites or social media profiles for more information. Knowing the beliefs and priorities of these people, particularly your potential immediate superior, can provide insight into their management style and how they handle work and employees.
You may also find anecdotal evidence of what certain individuals are like to work with in company reviews by former employees.

4. Find out how the business operates

Researching a company before an interview can provide valuable information that can be useful in a cover letter or interview. By understanding how a company operates and generates revenue, you can determine how your skills and experiences can align with their needs.
Additionally, researching a company can also indicate its stability, which has a direct impact on your financial stability if you work there. Many companies share this information on their websites, usually under an 'About Us' or 'What We Do' section.
Additionally, there are websites that gather information on companies that you can consult. Large publicly listed companies often publish annual reports on their activities and achievements, which can provide additional insights for your research.
By understanding how to research a company and what to research about a company before an interview, you can make a more informed decision about whether you want to work for the company.
Consider the following questions:

How does the business make money?
Who are their primary clients or customers?
How long has the company existed?

5. Check the news and social media

Researching a company before an interview is not just limited to what the company says about itself, it is also important to find out what others have said about it. Review sites and news articles are useful sources of information.
Even small companies may be featured in news items if something noteworthy has happened, such as recent mergers and acquisitions, reports on profits or losses, or any actions involving employees. This information can be relevant to your own decision about wanting to work for the company, in addition to being valuable in a cover letter or interview.
Search engines and social media platforms are the best way of finding this information. You can filter search engine results to only include news items to narrow down your search.
For social media, find the company's official profiles and see how others have reacted, interacted, and talked about them. This can give you a good idea of the company's relationship with the general public.

6. Ask people you know

When researching a company for an interview, your personal network of friends and family members can provide valuable information. They may have firsthand knowledge of the company or be able to refer you to someone who has worked there or has specific information about the company.
This is particularly likely if the company you are considering employs a lot of people where you live. Utilizing your own network can also alert you to job opportunities that you might have missed otherwise. T
This can be a great way to find out what to research about a company and how to research a company before an interview. Your personal network can be a valuable resource when researching a company and preparing for an interview.

7. Know what information to share

Once you have adequately researched a company before an interview, it is important to know what information to share in your cover letter or interview. Demonstrating that you have researched the company makes a good impression and shows your seriousness, commitment, and diligence.
The best information to share is your knowledge of the company's needs, values, and culture, and how you align with them. This includes the company's mission and vision, short-term goals, and the specific expectations outlined in the job advertisement. When deciding what information to share, it is important to ensure that it is relevant and up-to-date.
Additionally, it is important to consider the sensitivity of the information. If certain facts are too negative or sensitive, it is usually best to avoid mentioning them unless the interviewer brings up the subject.
Positive information such as recent company expansions or new product lines are great examples of information to share, as it allows you to demonstrate how you can contribute to the company's growth.

Before you spend time filling an application for a particular job, there are specific steps you should take and certain company parameters you should consider before going ahead in the process. Why? For one, it will help you filter the companies and the jobs that actually suit you, that sponsor a work permit and that you are qualified for. Secondly, researching before applying can make a huge difference to your responses. Instead of writing generic answers in the form, you can customize your responses and align them with the organization’s larger purpose.

Bawani Chan, a law student from Malaysia, has attended several assessment centers. Her advice?‘You have to know the main aims, goals, and the business of the company you have applied to. That’s non-negotiable.’ If you want your application to embody the company’s values, you need first to acquaint yourself with those values. Then, when you show recruiters that your values align with the company values, you give a compelling yet implicit hint about your suitability for the role. It is the knowledge of such minor details that led Christy Simanjuntak to her current position as Global Credit Analyst at HSBC UK. ‘I think it is helpful to look at the company values as well. For example, Barclays emphasizes on Service, Stewardship, Integrity, Respect, and Excellence’, Christy advises prospective applicants.

‍Dhruvin Patel, Founder at Ocushield, shares more insight from the employer’s perspective, “Most candidates only look at the website, I think it’s worth digging deeper – check what the latest news about the company is, check their company pages on LinkedIn, etc. A candidate saying, “I love what you do here with xyz”, would stick out for me. Bonus points if the candidate brings something to the table, too: if they have a suggestion to make, or suggestion as to how they’d perform a certain activity in the company – that shows me that they’re proactive, they’re rolling out ideas & have got their thinking cap on.”

Very often, applicants read the job description but are at a loss to imagine what the job exactly entails. To beat this information lacuna, we have one word for you: networking. For such vital but amorphous questions, you can meet recruiters at the careers fairs or talks at your University. Alternatively, you can also reach out to someone who is either currently working in the same position or worked in the past, on LinkedIn, or on your University alumni network. The underlying principle of all your research should be two-fold: show the company that you are ready to go the extra mile and assess your suitability for the position! Shared by Student Circus.

Student Circus is an award-winning employability platform that helps boost international student careers globally. With filtered visa-enabled opportunities for graduates, the platform presents the first-of-its-kind solution for international students from 40+ partner universities in the UK, many of whom have landed jobs at KPMG, Deloitte, Blackrock, Rolls Royce, PwC, EY, among others.