You are going to have an interview. Great. Consider Researching the company
You are going to have an interview. Great. You have been successful in moving closer to getting a job position.
Research the company
While you are waiting for the interview, you could consider researching the company. The research may help you in the interview. You can also evaluate this potential employer to see if you want to be an employee at that potential employer.
Here are some places you could consider researching on the Internet to find more information about the company.
Web Site of Company
Web Site–many companies nowadays will have a website of their company on the Internet. The company website can be a valuable source of information. You could evaluate questions like:
- What does the company do? (Who are the customers of the company’s services? What types of problems is the company trying to solve?)
- The company history (when was the company established? Why was the company created?)
- How well is the website web constructed? Does the structure make sense?
- Is the content on the website high quality? Does the content on the website make sense?
- Are the links on the website accurate?
- Does it appear that the website is current and up to date?
The website is often the front entrance to a business; how the business creates its website can give an impression on how the company presents itself to the public.
LinkedIn–LinkedIn is a professional career social media website. People can sometimes find connections with other people in their profession and find opportunities. Companies will sometimes create their LinkedIn page where they describe themselves. You may find more about the company by reading a company’s LinkedIn page.
(The company may give you the ability to “follow” them–if you are interested in the company, “follow” the company so you can get more information about the company).
Reviews
Reviews–you may find out reviews on a potential company. Reviews can come from two sources: employees of the company (both past and current) and customers.
Employees of the company (both past and current)
Employees of a company may give reviews on the working conditions of working at that potential employer. You may gain ideas about what the working environment of that company may be. To find employee reviews, you can look at:
Indeed.com (www.indeed.com)
You can go to a website called indeed.com. Indeed.com, a job website where people can find job openings. Indeed.com will also provide reviews to learn more about a company. You can type on www. Indeed.com and then click the link called “Company reviews.”
Glassdoor.com (www.glassdoor.com)
You can go to a website called Glassdoor.com. Glassdoor.com is a job website where people can find job openings. Glassdoor.com will also provide reviews that people can use to learn more about a company. You can search for the company you are interested in and type in the word “Reviews.”
(You may have to create an account and give your reviews on companies you have worked at gaining access to the information–to create an account and leave your reviews are free).
Customers Reviews
Customers can use the Internet to leave reviews.
You can see how well the companies relate to their customers.
You can do a Google search and type in the potential company along with the word “reviews.”
You may get information on different links that may provide review information.
Some potential employers will have a description that will appear on the right side of the screen.
The description will often have a feature called “Google Reviews”–you can click on this link to gain more information on what customers have said about the potential business.
YouTube
YouTube is a website that allows people to post videos that the public can see. Companies may create their own YouTube channel that will have videos that will give information about the company. You may gain insights into a business by looking up videos on YouTube about that company.
News Media
You may also learn more about a company by seeing if that potential company is in the news. And if so, what is the news coverage? You can do a Google search and type in the name of the potential company and then type in words that relate to news. Words could include “news coverage, TV coverage, radio coverage, or media coverage.” You may find articles that give information about that potential employer.
Evaluate the information you read
Like all information that you read on the Internet, be sure to evaluate the information to see if that information may be helpful for your needs. Since any organization can produce anything on the Internet, you will want to assess the information that you read.
You are going to have an interview. Great. You may find it helpful to learn more about that potential employer through research.