Before you go for an interview at a company, and even before you write a resume for a particular company, you will need to do some research.
Having information about the company will help you in your quest to landing an interview, acing the interview, and hopefully, getting a new job!
In this ResumeGiants article, we will discuss why it’s so important to do your company research, how you can conduct company research yourself, and some helpful research tools.
Consider this your complete guide to all things company research. As soon as you’re done reading, you’ll be able to gather all the information you need.
Your Complete Guide to Researching a Company
In the spirit of saving you time, we have gathered together all the resources you’ll need to research a company. While it may seem like additional, extra-credit work, this research that will help you greatly in your application.
If you’re truly excited about the prospect of working for a company, you likely already know a bit about them.
But you want to learn all you can, using the tools at your disposal so that you can show the hiring manager you have done your company research, and you are dedicated to this possible new job.
Why Company Research is Required
Company research will show that you care about the company and the people that work there. You’ll come across as:
- Eager
- Intelligent
- Resourceful
You’ll also be preparing for your interview, because you’ll now know more about:
- What the company does
- How big it is
- What types of professionals work there
- Their corporate vision or plan
First, company research is required to tailor your resume so that you highlight skills are a match to the company and their job posting.
For instance, if the job you are applying for is within the automotive industry, you would want to highlight any knowledge you have in that arena. If the job posting asks for skills in a particular type of software, then you would want to make sure that skill is listed on your resume.
Second, company research is required so that you are prepared for your interview. You want to get to know the hiring manager, and they want to get to know you during your short time together.
Rather than having them explain to you what the company does, you want to know that already, and to instead ask specific questions about the role you are applying for, which also makes you look professional and respectful of their time.
How To Research a Company before Your Interview
Now that we understand why we need to research a company, let’s get into how to do that research and where the best information lies.
As you might have already guessed, the internet is your first source of information, including:
- The company website
- Their social media presence
- Any press releases
You may also find some great information about a company along different avenues, which we will share with you in the tools below.
Before we dive into the details, though, here is a word of caution. As with any research, you want to assess the validity of the source.
You can certainly look at company reviews or comments that past employees leave on another website. But keep in mind that those are a handful of employees that have moved on, and not every person will post their opinion online.
You also want to make sure that you read more than one article about the company or more than one social media post. You want to get a true representation of the company by making sure you read from more than one source, trusted source.
5 Company Research Tools You Can Use
In this list of company research tools, you can try all of them, or you can select a couple that suit your research best.
You may already know about the role extensively, but you are looking for some information on the latest news from the company. Or you may need to find out more about the company culture and dress code.
In any case, here are some great tools to help you learn more about a company.
1. Official company website
A quick online search of the company name will lead you to the official company website. Be sure to take some time to read through all the pages of the website.
Likely, there will be a:
- Company mission statement
- Descriptions of what they do
- Information for their potential customers
If you spend some time understanding how the company positions itself online and how it speaks to its customers, you’ll get a feel for the people and company, too.
Perhaps the website is very straightforward. Perhaps the writing is quite clear and simple. Or maybe the website is detailed and very technical in nature, catering to a specific crowd.
All of these things are clues for you. You can:
- Pick up the tone
- Who the customers are
- What the company offers
By researching their products, clients, and communication style, you’ll know better what to expect when you go for your interview.
You’ll also be able to talk about these things intelligently, showing you’ve got the skills to fit into that group and role at the company.
2. Company social media feed
Similarly, you can learn a lot about how the company presents itself online in its social media feeds. You can see if they are:
- Casual and easygoing
- Very formal and professional
You can also conduct research on other aspects of the company that might otherwise be difficult to glean.
If the company posts pictures of its employees, you can see what the dress code is like and match your outfit to the same when you go for your interview.
You might also learn about the company’s latest research or products by browsing their social media feed. A company’s LinkedIn presence is also a great place to learn not only about its products and services, but also its people.
Their CEO or Chief Marketing Officer might regularly post about their work and industry. You can learn about them by searching for the company on LinkedIn.
3. News outlet coverage of the company
If the company is frequently in the news, or perhaps has been around for many years, then you can search local newspapers or news websites for the company name.
Whether the news coverage is positive or negative, knowing the latest about the company is excellent research. It may also give you a feel for the financial health of the organization, which will help you decide if this is the right place for you.
4. Informational interview on the role
This particular option is a more traditional company research tool. If you happen to know someone who is working/has worked at the company, you may be able to talk to them in order to conduct your research.
You may also have a contact who knows someone that works there, and you can ask them if they would mind introducing you by email. You can have an informational interview through email, Zoom, or in person.
Be sure to prepare your questions ahead of time for the person you are speaking with and allow them to elaborate on their answers so that you can learn about the company from their perspective.
If you are looking to have an informational interview with someone that is in the same role as the one you are applying to, then you can ask more specific questions about the job and the company’s expectations of their employees.
5. Trade magazines and journals
Nowadays, you can find many of these online, but you’ll also still find trade magazines and journals in print. You can browse them at your local bookstore or even at the library. You can search for the company you are researching within the trade magazines or journals that are written for its industry.
For example, if you are applying for a job in medical research, you might look for publications in medical journals that feature the company you are applying to.
Not only will you learn about the research that they have done recently, so you can talk about it in your interview, but you’ll also find other related publications and research. Browsing these publications will allow you to read up on research within the whole industry.
To give you one more example, if you are applying to a role in machine learning as a programmer, then you will want to research what the company has done within that field. You can search for “machine learning” alongside the “company name” in journals and magazines.
You can also search the latest computing magazines for “machine learning” so that you are up to speed on the industry itself before you go in for your interview.
Bonus: One Last Tool To Use to Land an Interview
Finally, you can use our online resume builder to help with putting your best foot forward on paper.
After you have done the research on the company you want to work for, you will also need to have a resume that highlights your strengths to give you the best chances at an interview.
You can take resume research off your to-do list by using a free online resume templates that will generate yours in the correct format and with all the details you need to include.
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