Pre-Interview Tips on How to know about Company
Preparing for an interview takes a lot more than googling a list of common interview questions. You have to make a great first impression appearance-wise (no wrinkly suits here!), have a great knowledge of your target company and its product, and, of course, know exactly how to convey that you’re the perfect fit for the job.
So, to help you get prepared, we compiled a list of our all-time best pre-interview tips. From strategizing about how to tackle the toughest questions to packing your briefcase, we’ve got you covered—with 30 ways to make sure you bring your A-game.
Know Your Audience
- Spend a few hours learning everything you can about the company—from as many sources as you can. Talk to friends and contacts, read current news releases, and, yes, spend some time on Google. Often, candidates just look at the information a company is pushing out via the website and social media, but fail to look more in depth at what others are sayin By doing so, you’ll get the larger picture about the company (along with any negative press).
- Get a sense of “who” the company is and how to embody a similar personality during your interview. Start by reading the company’s blog and Facebook page, Instagram, linked in, twitter handles and its other social profiles—try to observe carefully the tone of the company’s because content on these sites will speak volumes. Or, try reading individual employees’ blogs to figure out what type of people work (and excel) there.
- Twitter can also be an excellent resource because you can see what the company and its employees are talking about. Are they sarcastically bantering with each other? Feel free to throw a few jokes in as you’re meeting with people. Are they tweeting up a storm about an event or product launch? Use it as a conversation starter.
- No matter what role you’re interviewing for—engineering, sales, marketing—you should learn everything about the product before your first interview (and ideally, a few times). If hired, your goal will be to create value for the people who use that product.
- Make sure you reach out through your network to find current and previous employees you can talk to, too—they’re often your best source of intel on what it’s really like to work at a company.
- Before your interview, get a list of the people you’re meeting with from the company. Then learn more about them—including what type of behaviour might intrigue them or turn them off. Finally, prep some questions that are specific to each interviewer: Ask for details about her focus at the firm, discuss current events on his specialty, or bring up a common interest you know he or she has outside the office.
- Different companies use different types of interviews, so ask what you’ll be faced with. For example, some companies will ask case questions or brain teasers while others will give a standard set of typical interview and leadership questions. Asking the recruiter or HR contact about the interview format ahead of time is totally fair game. And once you know, investing time to become familiar with this style can make a huge difference.
