When you sit down for a job interview, the employer may ask you what you already know about the company.
In some cases, the question is intended to be light, comparable to the famous “Did you have any trouble finding the office?” question that every candidate has been asked. For the employer, this question can act as a reference point to find out just how much about the company’s activities they need to explain to you. In such cases, there are no expectations on the part of the employer toward you on this subject.
On the other hand, for some other employers the question may play a central role and your response will serve to answer their unspoken question of “Did you do your homework before you came to this interview?”
This article will endeavor to show you the best way to respond to this question.
What is being evaluated?
From the point of view of some employers, a candidate who is truly interested in a job with their company will take the time to learn about the company before the interview. As a candidate, it’s the least you could do.
Doing so shows that you aren’t simply looking for a paycheck, but that you feel a real desire to become a part of the team and chose this company to apply with for very specific reasons. Having done so can also be a good indicator of some of your aptitudes.
For example, the employer may see your proactive homework on the company as proof that you are someone who takes initiative and makes sure to be well-prepared when entering into a new situation.
In their eyes, if you show that reflex for a job interview, there’s a good chance that you would take the same approach to your job if you were hired – say, to read up about a potential client before meeting with them.
The employer may even get more specific and ask you “How did you prepare for this interview today?”, the answer to which will allow them to appreciate your qualities as a self-starter, especially if the information was difficult to obtain and you came up with an ingenious way to retrieve it.
Another quality that this question can help illuminate is your ability to analyze and retain the essential elements of a document or any other piece of content.
An employer can ask: “Tell me about our company and what challenges we’re going to be facing in the coming years” or “Give me a concrete example of how we can distinguish our company from our competitors.”
Of course, whether you get the job or not will never hinge on your answer to a single question. Think of it as a chance to get some bonus points in an interview situation.
Even if the employer doesn’t ask you the question at the beginning of the interview, there are other questions they can ask that will help them find out how much you know about their company.
While knowledge of the company is very important, don’t take your research too far: “You had $6.2 million in revenue last year and you currently count 52 full-time employees and 14 part-time…” is a bit much. You don’t want to come across as some genius dog that learned a trick very well.
Avoid offering exaggerated praise of the company and especially don’t rely on empty statements that reflect no actual information about the work they do: “You’re the best company in the country, because you’re both fantastic and extraordinary!”
How to get prepared
The company website is the first place you should go to find out basic information about the company. Take the time to identify what aspects the company is trying to emphasize on its website: do they talk primarily about technology, people, or profitability?
To go a little further, you can explore the websites of the company’s primary competitors in order to gain an appreciation of the differences between your potential employer and the competition.
You can also learn more about the industry the company operates within to bring yourself up to speed about current happenings in the sector. Also look into the company’s partners, clients and working methods if possible.
Professional social networks such as LinkedIn also provide a good way to find out about key employees in the company and what they are expressing in the virtual realm. For example, you may notice that the president of the company is giving conferences about a particular subject, or that the director of marketing regularly publishes articles that reach a wide audience.
Of course, don’t take your research too far into employees’ private lives. If you do, you will come off less as a well-prepared candidate and more like a creepy spy!
“In my research, I noticed that your child attends St-Gregoire primary school and that your wife adores pottery,” is a big no-no.
Once you’ve gathered a good amount of information about a company, put together a detailed portrait of the organization in bullet form. You can then prepare your own reflections based on these elements and draw links between their activities, your experience and what you can bring to the company.
In conclusion
Very few candidates will respond the same way to a single question, since each has a unique perspective and experience in terms of career path and achievements.
Conversely, information about a company is available to any candidate. There’s no excuse for not having done your research on an organization where you’ve applied.
For this reason, doing your homework on any company you apply with is essential – especially since today, all the information you need to know is just a search or two away.
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