Once you have secured an interview be sure you research the company. Researching the company has two purposes. First, it gives you an idea if you will fit into the corporate culture. Many job seekers don't look at an interview as a two way process. It is important to remember you want to find a job that fits with your values, morals and ethics. You don't want to be looking for another job within 90 days just because you didn't do research on the company.
Secondly, researching the company will also help you become more prepared for the interview. Having done company research prior to the interview you will be able to ask better questions, speak about the company and the position and it will show the interviewer you are interested because you took the time to learn more about the company.
To start your research, visit the Internet. I would suggest starting with a search engine like Google. Since Google is the largest search engine it should return some good results. Simply input the company name into the search box and find the corporate website. Most corporate websites will offer you a lot of information about the company, services, mission statement and more. This information will help you formulate questions to ask about where the company is going, growth potential, and more.
In addition to the corporate website, most of the time a Google search will return newspaper articles, blog posts, commentaries, and more about the company you are researching. After viewing the corporate site you can go through the other Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) to learn more information about the company. Starting with the corporate site will make better sense of the other search results.
If you are looking for just facts about the company like number of employees, length of time in business, and the company is a larger try www.vault.com. Vault is a website dedicated to career information. Using there company research tool will pull up several facts about a company that can give you a nice starting place in your research.
When you are gathering company research for an interview you should look for:
. Name of company/organization
. Ownership - Publicly or Privately held, Foreign Owned
. When was the company established
. By whom was the company established
. Where was the company established
. Ability to attract and keep talented people
. Opportunity for staff career development
. Parent Corporation/Subsidiaries
. Area/Locale of Business: Local, Regional, National or International
. Stable or advancing industry
. Use of corporate assets
. Value of long-term investments
. Commitment to Research and Development
. Innovation
. Environmental commitment
. Community Service responsibility
. Primary mission or purpose of the company/organization
. Principle services/products
. Latest annual sales/revenue information
. Major competitors
