What should I research about a company before an interview?

Go beyond the About page. Focus on recent press releases, product launches, competitive positioning, and the specific backgrounds of your interviewers. The goal is to form an informed opinion about the company's challenges, not to memorize facts.

How long should I spend researching a company?

Allocate exactly 60 minutes: 15 minutes on news and press releases, 20 minutes analyzing their product from a user perspective, 15 minutes researching your interviewers on LinkedIn, and 10 minutes synthesizing three insightful questions to ask.

How to research a company before an interview (the 60-minute protocol)

Q: What questions should I ask based on my company research?

The best questions demonstrate critical thinking about the role and company direction. For example: 'Given the recent acquisition of Company X, how do you see this role evolving over the next six months?' Avoid questions that can be answered by reading the website.

Every career advice article tells you to "research the company" before an interview. For most candidates, this means spending five minutes skimming the "About Us" page and memorizing the mission statement. This is a missed opportunity. True research is about uncovering insights that allow you to engage the interviewer as a peer, not a supplicant.

The goal of company research

The objective is not to regurgitate facts. No hiring manager is impressed when you recite the year the company was founded or the names of the co-founders. The goal is to form an informed opinion about the company's current challenges and strategic direction.

Interviewers are impressed when you can connect your skills to their immediate problems. You want to reach a point where you can say, "I noticed your team recently shifted focus from enterprise clients to SMBs. Was that driven by the new competitor in the space? Here is how I handled a similar transition at my last job."

The 60-minute deep dive protocol

Allocate exactly one hour for your research. Spend the first 15 minutes reviewing recent press releases and news articles. Look beyond the headlines—focus on what the company is prioritizing. Are they expanding internationally? Launching a new product line? Facing regulatory hurdles?

Spend the next 20 minutes analyzing their product or service. Sign up for a free trial, read customer reviews on third-party sites, and identify pain points. What do users love? What do they complain about? Understanding the product from the user's perspective gives you a massive advantage over candidates who only read marketing copy.

Investigating the team and culture

Dedicate 15 minutes to researching the specific people who will be interviewing you. Look at their LinkedIn profiles to understand their backgrounds and career trajectories. Did they recently join from a competitor? Have they been with the company for a decade? This context will help you tailor your questions.

Use the final 10 minutes to synthesize your findings into three insightful questions to ask at the end of the interview. The best questions demonstrate that you have done your homework and are thinking critically about the role. For example: "Given the recent acquisition of Company X, how do you see the responsibilities of this role evolving over the next six months?"