Researching a company prior to your technology interview

Researching the organisation you have an interview with is vital to assess whether the business itself, the market it operates in and whether the company culture is gong to be the right fit for you.

It can also help in deciding which technology experiences are the most significant to relate back to and which specific examples will fit in the context of the business when answering questions in an interview.

Although the common goal is to use technology to add value to a business, each organisation depending on its environment will be using it differently.

“Once you have got your foot in the door for the first face-to-face interview, having sufficient knowledge about the company is important. Interviewers are also impressed when a candidate is able to ask intelligent questions about the organisation and the job as it shows initiative and expresses keenness towards the role” explains Kitee Fu, Manager - IT Commerce Division, Robert Walters.

Finding out more about the company helps you to prepare better questions during the interview.

“Finding out more about the company helps you to prepare better questions during the interview, and helps you craft better answers to demonstrate how you will fit into the organisation and support the business success”.

Key reasons for doing your research:

Ability to fully show enthusiasm for the technology sector, the use for the organisation and environment in which it operates in

• Able to discuss how your skills and knowledge will match the role
• Help consider specific experiences that can relate to the job offering
• Assist in putting together questions to find out how technology is used for the whole business
• Help in determining whether the culture would be an appropriate fit
• During research, it is also equally important and useful to find out about the competition that surrounds the organisation. This can help in constructing what makes the company you have applied for stand out against its competitors.
   

“Candidates should use information that is easily available and accessible from company website, blog sites, social media accounts and external sources to glean knowledge.”

“Above all, exploring the company prior will inevitably make you feel more comfortable and confident during the interview”