You have been invited for an interview? Congratulations! You've already created a positive first impression. Now it's time to score points at the interview with the potential employer just as you did with your resume. Inform yourself thoroughly about the company so that you are well prepared for the interview and can check for yourself whether you can achieve your career goals there. Here you can find out where to get the most important information.
That is why it is important to find out about the company
At the job interview, you want to present yourself competently. This includes a professional outfit and a good self-presentation. You can score additional points if you inform yourself well about the potential employer in advance. For example, you can use this knowledge to ask specific questions in the interview, such as:
- On your website you present your departments. How big is the team I would work with?
- I read you are developing a new product / site. What will this new project look like in detail?
- On your website, you say that direct feedback is important to you when working together, and I share this opinion. How often does such an appraisal interview take place?
How does the company present itself?
You will learn the most about your future employer by looking at how she presents herself. This happens in various media, among others:
- In the job advertisement
- On the company website
- In press releases
- In posts on social media
You can learn more about the mission statement on all these media and get a good visual impression of the potential new workplace, especially via social media.
What does the job posting reveal about the employer?
You can get initial information from the job advertisement. It usually states which benefits the company offers its employees. At Onyx Circle, for example, these include benefits such as flexible working hours, home office, additional vacation days or our loyalty bonus. The job description therefore gives you a first insight into the values and employee offers of the employer.
How does the team present itself on the website?
The company website offers you the most information. Here you will not only learn what values are important to the company. The website is also the source of factual information that can subsequently help you in the interview. Look at the details of the product or service that the particular company sells.
If you are unsure exactly what to look for on the site, you can try answering the following questions for yourself:
- What do you learn from the description of the product or service?
- To whom is the product or service sold?
- Is there in-house manufacturing for the product?
- Which target group does the company want to address?
- Is the company financially well positioned, regionally or internationally active?
Once you have answered these questions for yourself, you can usually already get a good idea of your possible future workplace. On the other hand, you may want to find out something that the website cannot answer for you. You can then ask these questions in the interview.
Read the company philosophy
Another important point you will find on the website is the philosophy of the company. Get to know the company culture already online before you are on site for the interview.
Some companies want to foster collaboration between their male and female employees. Others focus more on the professional development of their employees. Decide for yourself what is important to you and whether you can identify with the respective corporate culture.
Get to know the company history
The roots of a company are always part of the corporate philosophy. Especially in the case of a family business, the founding history is particularly interesting. Find out whether the company is still run by the family today. If communication and cooperation are valued in the company history, chances are good that these values are still lived today.
Likewise, you can learn from the company history how the company has developed since its founding. Is it a medium-sized company? Or can you read from the history an expansion from a family business to a global corporation? Consider in advance whether you would prefer to work for a medium-sized employer or a global corporation.
The image in press releases and social media
If you search online for the company's name, you will quickly come across links to social media such as LinkedIn or Instagram as well as press releases. Here, the website is also the first port of call: There you can often find news articles and find out about current developments.
Perhaps the company has won an award, is Employer of the Year or has received funding for a project. Leave a lasting impression by incorporating this knowledge into the interview.
Read testimonials on employer review platforms
Interesting insights into the potential new job can often be found on the company website and the company profile in social media. But you rarely find out there how satisfied the employees really are. This is where employer rating platforms like kununu come into play.
But there are now also numerous reviews of female employers on Google. The advantage: On these platforms, real (ex-)employees give their own opinion on the working atmosphere.
Just be careful not to take these testimonials at completely face value. See how many people have rated the business and in which category there are the most reviews. Because sometimes a business rating can show a skewed result.
Thus, the working atmosphere can be rated as merely mediocre. If you take a closer look at the data, it may turn out that, for example, three people were very satisfied and only one person was dissatisfied. It is best to compare several employer rating platforms to gain a differentiated impression.
Talking to the recruitment agency about the company
Are the company's own details not enough for you or can you hardly find any information on the web? And in general, due to your demanding job as a specialist or manager, you hardly have the time to conduct time-consuming and elaborate research?
If you have applied for the relevant position through a recruitment consultancy such as Onyx Circle, you will receive all the important information from your recruitment consultant. This is because recruiters are in close contact with the companies looking for a job and therefore know what the working climate is like.
For example, your contact person can assess whether you would feel comfortable in the team, whether you need to be available at all times, or whether you can start your day off with peace of mind outside of core working hours.
Therefore, if you want to save valuable time in preparing for the interview, the first thing you should do is contact your recruiter. Use the interview with the recruitment agency to address your ideas about working hours, salary and working atmosphere.
If you formulate your wishes clearly, your contact person can place you more specifically. The more precisely you know your career goals and can describe your desired job, the more likely you are to get it.
With good research to the right job
It is not always easy to find a company whose values you share, your personality is appreciated and you can fulfill your career goals. Therefore, even before the interview, find out whether the offered position matches your expectations and whether their corporate philosophy is in line with your values. We will be happy to support you in this. Best of all, this service is completely free of charge for you as an applicant.
Here you can search for current job offers: To the job board.