If you want to impress a hiring manager during an interview, researching the company is a must. It allows you to inject tidbits into the conversation that showcase your interest in who the organization is, what it does, and the opportunity itself. Additionally, if you can learn about the hiring manager’s career and background, you can take their priorities into consideration when responding to questions, making it more likely that your reply will resonate.

Plus, researching the organization benefits you too. It gives you the ability to assess whether the culture and position are likely to be a good fit, increasing the odds that you will select a role that meets your needs.

If you want to make sure you are collecting the right information, here are some tips to help you research companies effectively before your interview.

When you need to learn about a company, start with the organization’s website. Review details on the “About Us” page first, giving you insights into the company’s structure, history, mission, and more. Then, review the products or services pages, learning what the business offers and its ideal customer.

Next, conduct a Google search to see if there are any recent news items about the company. This lets you know about current challenges and accomplishments, both of which can be valuable. Then, check out sites that support employee reviews, like Glassdoor, and see what other employees had to say.

Finally, head over to the company’s social media pages. Review the profile, posts, and anything they have shared from other pages, giving you additional information about their culture and priorities.

If you have an interview scheduled, you should know the hiring manager’s name. However, if you don’t, then you should reach back out to your contact and ask for it. It isn’t strange to want to know who you are meeting, so don’t worry about requesting the information. The absolute worst-case scenario is they say “no,” so you aren’t really losing anything by asking.

Once you have a name, there are a few sources you need to explore. Start with LinkedIn, as many professionals maintain profiles on this career-oriented social media site. See if you can find their profile and review as much content as possible. Look at their professional background, read posts, and look for any other potentially helpful details. Just don’t request to connect with them yet, as that move would be premature.

After LinkedIn, consider doing a general Google search. This will let you find out if they have other public social media accounts, a profile on the company’s website, or even articles published online. All of these can provide you with insights into the hiring manager’s background and professional priorities.

By following the tips above, you can conduct a thorough search of the company before your interview, potentially allowing you to stand out as a top candidate. If you’d like to learn more about researching prospective employers, the team at TempStaff can help. Contact us to speak with one of our staff members today and see how our job search expertise can benefit you. Click here to browse our current open Mississippi jobs!