Researching the company, team, and role

Suggested practice time: 25 minutes, separate from reading.

Research need not become a dissertation. Find specific points you can connect to your introduction, conversation, and questions.

Weak answers to "What do you know about us?" are generic. Stronger ones show what the company does, why the role matters, and where your experience meets its needs.

What you will learn

• Research with a purpose.
• Use five main research areas.
• Find useful facts in 20 minutes.
• Turn raw information into conversational points.
• Answer "What do you know about us?" specifically.

1. Generic answers are insufficient

"I visited your website" or "You're a good company" says little about genuine interest. Show that you took this particular opportunity seriously.

Generic:

"I saw your website and think you are a successful company."

Better:

"I noticed you focus on simplifying recruitment for small teams. That interested me because I have worked with teams facing the same shortage of time and organized hiring tools."

The second answer is specific and connects to the candidate's experience.

2. Five research leads

Keep your search focused on:

1. Product, service, or mission
2. Customers or target market
3. Recent news, changes, or priorities
4. The problem the role should solve
5. Team, manager, or interviewer

Seek one usable sentence for each rather than a mountain of facts.

Examples:

• Product: "The tool helps people prepare a resume faster."
• Market: "Its audience includes new job seekers and professionals presenting their career history."
• Role: "This position likely improves onboarding quality."
• Team: "The interviewer has a product background, so may ask about user-focused decisions."

3. A 20-minute research plan

• 5 minutes: Website, About page, and product pages
• 5 minutes: Product, portfolio, pricing, or user experience
• 5 minutes: Blog, news, social channels, or recent announcements
• 3 minutes: Advertisement and repeated terms
• 2 minutes: Interviewer, manager, or team profile

Finish with five short notes:

4. Turn facts into a useful connection

Use:

Specific company fact + connection to your experience, interest, or ability

Patterns:

• "I saw your focus on X; my experience in Y could help because..."
• "Your customers' challenge with X interested me; I worked on Y in a similar project."
• "The advertisement mentioned X several times. I addressed that in my previous role, with result Y."

Marketing example:

"I noticed your recent focus on more experienced users. In my previous role I designed campaigns with distinct product messages for different audiences. That experience may help grow this segment."

Technical example:

"Reliability and user experience appeared repeatedly in the advertisement. My previous project involved reducing client-side errors and connecting technical work to its effect on users."

Support example:

"The product description suggests users need to establish trust quickly and avoid getting lost. I have worked with people who needed step-by-step onboarding guidance."

5. What good research looks like

Many candidates prepare answers; focused research makes them specific to this opportunity.

Signs of useful research:

• Specific facts instead of generic praise
• A link between the role and a real company problem
• A link between your experience and its needs
• Questions based on reading and reflection

Questions:

• "The role description mentions X. Is the main challenge technical or process-related?"
• "The product focuses on Y. How is this role's success in improving Y measured?"
• "From outside, Z seems to be your main audience. Does the team have particular priorities for that group?"

Quick exercise

Choose a real company and complete this in 20 minutes:

Then write:

"I saw your focus on ...; my experience or interest in ... could help because ..."

Before-interview checklist

• I have at least one specific company fact.
• I understand the product or service's value.
• I have connected my experience to a role requirement.
• My answer to "What do you know about us?" is short and specific.
• I have at least two research-based questions.

Related guides

• Decoding the job description
• Assessing employers, managers, and warning signs