Looking for how to research a company? In this guide, I’m going to show you exactly how to research a company before going for an interview, or when you want to study a company.
Do you plan going for an interview feeling ready and prepared to ace the interview? In order not to embarrass yourself in the interview, you should know how to research a company.
Or
Do you want to learn about a company? Following these proven steps on how to research a company can help you easily achieve your goal of learning more about the company.
When you know how to research a company, you can easily be able to elicit vital information like the company’s vision, mission, values and cultures, press releases, work ethics, and even come up with questions to ask in your interview.
In the next few minutes, I will be showing you the proven steps to take on how to research a company.
#1: Look For Company That You Have Interest In
Other than pay and other benefits, it is known according to a survey that 75% candidates say they are attracted to a new job because the company shares their values. Same thing applies when you want to research a company to get valuable information, you should look for the companies that share same value with you.
Do you like a company that value teamwork environment, social causes, diversity initiatives or innovation, then choose companies that aligns with these before kick-starting your research
#2: Visit the Company Website
Once you know the companies to research, the first place to elicit valuable information about the company is its official website. In the website, you can learn about the company’s mission statement and history, vision, products and services, management, and also information about their culture.
The best section you can get information from a company’s website is on their “About Us” page. In the page you can get most of the information about the company just as listed above. Though most organization make use of hyperbole on their about us page. But at the same time, pay close attention to themes that come up repeatedly on the site, and also any stated corporate values.
Do you like to work in an organization that considers their employees families? Or do you need more distance between your job and personal life? You can easily lean about these things from the company website.
Can you find “Events”, “Privacy & Policy”, and “Terms & Condition” pages? You can find valuable information in those pages too. Do well to read through the contents there.
#3: Use Google Search
No doubt, Google is a powerful tool you can use to search about anything. Even when you want to research a company, Google still remains an effective tool you can use to get vital information about the company.
By searching the company name on Google, you can get links to the company social media accounts, locations, and also reviews.
Another great Google tool you can use to get press releases about any organization is Google News. By searching the name of any company you want to research on Google News, you will get important press releases, recent developments, and other valuable information about the organization.
You can also get questions to ask the interview from the news you get about the company yon Google news. Example: “I recently saw a press release about a recent development the company had, can you share more about it with me?”
#4: Utilize Social Media
The next step to take on how to research a company is to check the company’s social media accounts. I suggest browsing through their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages. This will give you a good sense on how the company wants its customer to see it. Like and follow the pages to get recent updates from the company.
Also you can see pictures of events they had, seminars, and other career development programs. Getting to know about this will help you figure out some questions to ask in the interview. For example you can ask: “I saw on Instagram the company recently had an event, can you tell me more about it?”
#5: Use LinkedIn
I was supposed to include LinkedIn among the social media accounts I recommended you to utilize, but LinkedIn has proven to be a powerhouse when it comes to anything that has to do with businesses, the workforce, networking, and learning about companies.
Using LinkedIn to research a company can give you more information than you can ever imagine. The company profile on LinkedIn is a good way to find more information about the company that shares your value. You can find your connections at the company, new hires, promotions, jobs posted, related companies, and company statistics.
Check for links or names of people you are familiar with. Did you go to the same school? Were you part in a volunteer work or internship? If you can be able to find people you know that works or have a connection in the company, you can be able to get insider information on the company.
Also take a look at your Interviewer’s LinkedIn profile to get learn about their job and also their background and interests.
#6: Make Use of Your Network
Do you have any persona that has connection in the company? When you want to research a company, it will be best to seek opinions from the connection. Ask them if they can help you with any information that can be beneficial to you. You can discuss what you have learnt so far with the network so that he or she can share more light on it, and provide you with more insider information.
If you are a new college graduate building your network from scratch, you can ask for the contact of any alumni working in the company from your university advisors.
Check out – How to Build a Professional Network (8 Powerful Steps)
#7: Learn About the Industry and Competitors
Another great step to take on how to research a company is to learn about the industry and competitors. Instead of only researching the company, it will be best also for you to review the overall industry, and also the company competitors.
When you know much about the industry and also greatest competitors, you are bound to impress the interviewer when discussing about their competitors and industries in the interview.
Conclusion
If you are going for an interview, or just want to research a company, the above steps to research a company should provide you with all the information you need.
When you research a company, make sure you know the answers to these questions;
- When/why was the company founded?
- Who is the CEO?
- Do they have multiple locations?
- Why do customers choose their products or services?
- What makes them different from their competitors?
Use the above questions as a checklist to make sure you have researched the company well enough before heading for your interview.
That is it on my guide on how to research a company
I’d love to hear from you?
Hope you found the guide to research a company helpful?
Which steps do you want to try right-away?
Is it step #1, or step #3, or everything at a go?
Whichever way, feel free to drop your comments below