What You MUST KNOW About the Company Before Your Job Interview

So you've got a job interview coming up. Resume? Check. What to wear? Check. Your portfolio? Check. But what about your knowledge about the company? Here are 5 things you should know about a company before you arrive for the interview.

1. Quick facts about the company

Imagine going for an interview and the first thing the interviewer asks you is "What do you know about our company?". To most of us, it's important to know about the company but sometimes we're careless. We concentrated too much on how we would perform that we forgot the basics. I've been there.

If you don't know the basic facts about the company, that's a dealbreaker. It's like going on a date and forgetting your date's name. 

Do a quick research about the company and find out the basic facts such as the industry and scope of their business and their mission statement. It's also the simplest thing you can do; find their website and check out the "About us" section, there you have it.

2. Do you have the required skills?

There are dozens other candidates out there, your ultimate goal in the job interview is to let them know that you're the best candidate for the position. But first, you have to know what they would a consider an ideal candidate. This is often written on the job description, so if you think you're the perfect fit for the job then provide them some examples!

Carefully read the typical duties and responsibilities. Ask yourself which of your skills and experiences match up with these. Remember to connect these two in your interview. The easiest way is to mention how your experience will help you to carry out the responsibilities listed by the interviewer.

3. Do you fit the company culture?

You don't just need to fit the job description, you also need to know if you'd fit in with the company. An interview is a chance for the interviewer to know your personality and how well you'd fit the company culture.

The good news is that companies these days know how important culture is, so finding info on a company's culture should be easy. It's usually written in the "About Us" section. 

Take a look at their mission statement and core values and see if they're a right fit for you. 

This is how it feels like working in a company culture that doesn't fit you.

4. Recent news about the company

See, bosses like candidates who are ready to work for them from the get-go. So, if you want to stay ahead of other candidates, get to know about what's going on with the company. 

You can just google them but this probably won't work on smaller companies, so head over to their website and check out their "news" section. Also be check out their social media pages to know what they're up to.

5. Competitors

"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."

You have to let them know why you choose their company, instead of their competitors. Let's pretend "oh your company has an opening and their company doesn't" is not the obvious reason why you chose them.

It's good you know what sets this company apart from its competitors but that's not enough for you.

Take it further by weighing the claims this company makes against the claims of their competitors and come to your own conclusions. What are the differences that you notice?

This guy definitely knows the company and aced his interview because he's on fire!

The company wants to know if you are genuinely interested in them. This is one of the most important things of what they look for in candidates. So if you prepare yourself with knowledge about the company, you have a great chance of getting hired. Good luck! And if you're still looking for that company, head over to Ricebowl and get your dream job!

This article is based on "What to know about a company before you interview" by Matthew Tarpey.