You did it! You got the interview for the job you are applying to. Having reached this point is a great accomplishment, because not everybody makes it through to the formal interview round. Now the question is, what should you do before the big day? You must research the company to get to know their services, products, and most of all, the people that you’ll have in front of you, to understand what they’re looking for.
The previous introduction works perfectly for people who have already been called in for an interview, nonetheless, we must not forget about those who have yet to begin the application process and also want to get to know a certain company that peaked their interest.
PRPDG Glossary:
Company– according to RAE, it’s a society or a group of people united to reach the same goal, usually in terms of a business aspect.
In this blog, we will share everything you should know about the company with whom you’ll be interviewing or applying to. Take notes!
- Mission and history– The first thing you must know about the company, no matter how obvious it may seem, is what they do and why. If you do not understand the most basic aspects, you won’t be able to know whether you’re a good fit or not, and you’ll also seem lost and unprepared. It’s good to know a little bit about the company history (when it was founded, why, and by who) because these are questions that will most likely be included in the interview, like for example: “What do you know about us?”.
- Culture– You can look up the company’s social media accounts, or their website, to learn more about how the team works on a daily basis, what activities they do, etc. It’s important to understand the formal aspects of a company, like their mission and history, as well as how they perform within their industry, whether it be in a casual or strict way, what type of language they use, the type of content they publish, what their employees say, etc.
- Team– Maybe you won’t be able to track down all of the team members online, but it’s important that you find some of them in order to see who makes up the company, because it’s likely that one of them will be the one who interviews you. This way, it will be much easier to find things in common that may eventually turn into possible conversation topics during the interview.
- News– Research news about the company so that you can be up to date with their latest achievements and can talk about them during your interview. This will show interest, knowledge, and preparation. It can also be a good way for you to learn about their mistakes, since no company is perfect. It’s a good thing to keep in mind when considering being part of a team, because this way you’ll be able to visualize how you can help them with your abilities and knowledge.
- Competition– Another important pre-interview step is researching who the company’s main competitors are. This allows you to analyze the market, find out who is standing out withing that market, and understand the position your company’s in.
Recommendations:
- If the company you applied to is on social media, we suggest you follow them. This way you can get firsthand information about their opportunities, news, and culture, among other things.
- Do you know anyone that works at the company you are applying to? If the answer is yes, contact them and ask them questions. Employees are a company’s best presentation letter, and they can share valuable internal information, such as the benefits and disadvantages of working for them.
- Not everything you read online is true, and by this we are referring to comments made on forums. You must take into consideration that maybe an employee who had a bad experience because of a company mistake might turn to online platforms to express his discontent. Maybe that was the only bad experience compared to that of thousands of people that work at the company.
