"What do you know about our company?" is one of the most predictable interview questions, yet many candidates answer with a vague line from the homepage. Researching an employer properly does more than help you answer that one question. It helps you tailor your application, ask smarter questions, spot red flags and decide whether you actually want to work there.
Here is a practical research routine that takes about 30 to 60 minutes per company.
1. Start with the company's own channels
- Website: read the About, Products or Services, Careers and News pages. Note what the company sells, who its customers are and how it describes its mission and values.
- Annual report or investor pages (for listed companies): the summary at the start often explains strategy, priorities and challenges in plain language.
- Blog and press releases: look for recent launches, expansions, partnerships or awards from the past 12 months.
- Social media: LinkedIn, Instagram and other channels show what the company is proud of and how it talks about its people.
2. Understand the role in context
- Re-read the job description and highlight the main responsibilities and requirements.
- Look for other open roles in the same team. Several vacancies may mean the team is growing, or that turnover is high.
- Find out which department the role sits in and what that team is responsible for.
3. Look at the people
- Search LinkedIn for current employees in similar roles. Their profiles show the skills and backgrounds the company tends to hire.
- If you know your interviewers' names, read their public professional profiles to understand their roles. Keep it professional; you are preparing, not investigating their private lives.
- Check whether anyone in your network works there or used to. A short conversation can give you insights no website will.
4. Check the news and the industry
- Search the company name in a news search for recent stories, both positive and negative.
- Identify two or three main competitors and how the company is different.
- Note any big trends affecting the industry, such as new regulations, technology changes or market shifts.
5. Read employee reviews with care
Sites such as Glassdoor and Indeed company reviews can show patterns in culture, management and interview processes. Read them critically: unhappy employees are more likely to post, and single reviews can be extreme. Look for themes that appear again and again.
6. Watch for red flags
- No clear address, website or company registration details
- Job ads that ask for fees, deposits or payment for training or visas
- Recruiters who only communicate through personal messaging apps
- Many reviews describing unpaid salaries or sudden dismissals
Legitimate employers do not charge candidates to apply or to be hired.
7. Turn your research into a one-page cheat sheet
Before the interview, summarise what you found:
- What the company does, in one sentence
- Two or three recent developments
- Its main customers and competitors
- Values or priorities that match your own experience
- Three questions you want to ask
How to use your research in the interview
Weave it in naturally rather than reciting facts. For example: "I saw that you launched a delivery service in two new cities this year. In my current role I helped set up a new delivery route, so I'd be interested to hear how this team supports that expansion." That one sentence shows research, relevant experience and genuine curiosity at the same time.
An hour of focused research can transform your application from generic to specific, and specific is what gets noticed.
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