7 Ways to Research a Company
When you are job seeking it is important to research the organisation thoroughlyespecially when you are going for an interview. The obvious place to start is the Internet and Google. In order to be creative and to show that you have gone the extra mile, here are some ways to learn more about the company that you want to land a role in: 1. LinkedIn Company Page The biggest professional social network in the world is no longer just for individuals. Many organizations now have their own company page on the site, including lists of current employees and recent hires. Have a look at the different job titles of these employees, especially the new hires. This gives you an idea of what the business does and what is driving their need for new recruits. 2. Press Releases When anyone sends out a press release, it’s to announce big news or something else important to them. A company’s recent press releases will tell you a lot about what it’s prioritizing and what its most major plans are for the future.
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3. Financial Reviews Most medium to large organizations worth working for will have annual financial reports readily available to the public, as this is a sign of accountability and transparency. These yearly financial reviews give you a breakdown of how the business is doing, where the investment is being placed and this tells us a lot about the business areas the company is looking to build, expand and/or market. 4. Competitors To get an insight into what a business is thinking and what’s influencing it, take a look at how its market competitors are positioned and how they’re performing. Private enterprises often respond to- and are inspired by- what their rivals are doing. By finding out what’s working and what’s not for these rivals, you’ll be on the same page as your would-be employer, if not one step ahead of them. 5. Products & Services An organisation is largely defined by its products, if it’s a corporate entity, or its services, if it’s in the public or third sector. By checking out the employer’s most wellknown products/services as well as new and upcoming lines, job candidates can get a feel for the organizational brand and what it’s raison d'être is. 6. The Interviewer Knowing about the person who’s going to be interviewing you is as important as knowing about the company, as it can help you build a rapport with him or her and understand what they’re looking for. Get the interviewer’s name from the organisation and then have a look at their social media profiles and any press that there may be on them. 7. Direct Contact Sometimes the easiest way to find something out about a company is to just ask someone there. On the job advertisement or interview invitation should be a name and a Follow us @PosIgnition www.positionignition.com
 
contact number/email address if you want to discuss the role or interview process further.
This checklist has been created by Position Ignition Ltd, one of the UK’s leading career consulting companies and founders of the Career Ignition Club. Please contact enquiries@positionignition.com for more information or to suggest additional resources.
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