If You Want to Stand Out Job Interview Research is Vital
- Frank Manfre
- Sep 9
- 2 min read
If you want to stand out as a candidate on a job interview you better do your homework; a lot of it. These are the main areas you need to delve into:
Investor Relations
If they're publicly traded, the SEC requires they disclose anything that can or did have a material impact on the stock price or health of the of the company. Go to their website's Investor Relations page and also Google the company name + SEC filings. While you're on their site, other pages to hit are News Releases and Media Kit.
Strategic Initiatives
ID the recurring themes you uncover in your research. Is it new product innovation? Acquisitions? Expanding into new markets or geographic areas? What's the future vision for the company? Look for what their CEO has been saying, particularly on calls with Wall Street.
Competition
Ask ChatGPT to ID that company's top competitors and list what their respective strengths and weaknesses are. Check the Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review sites for references to that company, its competitors, or the market(s) they serve.
What Employees Are Saying
Check Glassdoor.com for general, comprehensive reviews. It is a great resource for job seekers curious about a company's inner workings. You'll find anonymous reviews, company ratings (overall, culture, senior leadership, etc.), interview questions, salary data, benefits information, and a space for Q&As. Blind.com is good for candid, unfiltered insights. Blind is a social network that allows only verified employees to connect and discuss their workplaces anonymously. The anonymity encourages more honest and unfiltered conversations than you might find elsewhere. Best for digging into the real-time morale and "what's really happening" inside a company.
Bottom Line: The best candidates are the best informed and have the best thought-provoking questions that demonstrate their depth of research and understanding of that company's challenges and opportunities.
Frank Manfre
Job Search Sherpa