Introduction:
This guide covers everything we would recommend researching ahead of an upcoming job interview. Whilst, at first, it might appear long, in actual fact, most of these points can be covered very quickly.
We start with the company related points, as this helps to set the scene and give you the broader context, in to which everything else sits. From there, we move in to the wider team you’ll set within, before getting really specific on focusing on the role you are interviewing for. In our experience, this order yields the best results.
We hope you find it useful and good luck!
Interview Preparation Guide
COMPANY:
- Website: what the company does, where they operate, key people, customer base
- Careers Page: culture, employee benefits, mission
- LinkedIn Company Page: About Section – succinct explanation of what the business does
- Look at recommended relevant companies in the bottom right for examples of their competitors
- Research them also – what USP’s do the company you are interviewing with have?
- Glassdoor: check reviews for an insight on the culture and leadership
- Google: news articles for up-to-date information on events affecting the company
- If a VC-backed tech company, check out:
- Crunchbase: for fundraising information such as who investors are and which other companies they have invested in
- TechCrunch: for news relating to successful venture fundraising
- Look at recommended relevant companies in the bottom right for examples of their competitors
TEAM:
- LinkedIn Company Page: People Section – search for keywords relating to the team you are joining (as well as the interview, if in a different team) and assess the backgrounds of the people comprising the team. What themes are there in their industry background, experience level and qualifications?
- Don’t be afraid to check out each of their LinkedIn profiles – the fact they can see you’ve viewed their profile, will reflect positively on you as someone who has done thorough preparation
- Google: search for the company name combined with the name of the function (e.g. UX, customer success or finance) and see what comes up – some of the team may contribute to a blog or have been interviewed for a magazine before.
- Google: search for the Founder/CEO’s name along with the search term “podcast” and see what appears. Often, you will find they have been interviewed by someone, which offers a great insight. Do the same for your Head of Function e.g. “Head of Marketing” or “Head of Sales”. It is recommended to run this search on YouTube also.
ROLE:
- Re-read the written job description. If you haven’t been sent one, Google the company name and job title and see if there is a job advert out there
- Re-read your CV to ensure you are ready to substantiate your claims
- Google: search for a list of “example competency based questions” and prepare an answer for each
- LinkedIn: search for the person vacating the role or anyone who has done the job before, to assess their background for greater context
- Prepare questions for the interview to help you better understand the role
