How do you research a company before an interview?

Question

Accepted Answer

**Researching a company** before interviewing is important — it helps you answer questions well, ask thoughtful questions, show genuine interest, and evaluate whether the company is right for you. Good research demonstrates engagement and informs your decisions.

## What to research

```text
✓ The PRODUCT/business → what they build, who their customers are, how they make money
✓ The TECH STACK → technologies they use (job posts, engineering blog, GitHub)
✓ The COMPANY → size, stage (startup vs established), mission, values, culture
✓ Recent NEWS → funding, launches, growth, challenges
✓ The ROLE → understand the responsibilities and what they're looking for
✓ The interview PROCESS → often shared online (Glassdoor, blogs) — know what to expect
```

## Where to research

```text
→ Company WEBSITE (product, about, careers, values)
→ Engineering BLOG / tech talks (their stack, culture, how they work)
→ LinkedIn (the company, your interviewers, employees)
→ Glassdoor/Blind (reviews, interview experiences, culture, comp — with a critical eye)
→ Recent news/press; product itself (TRY their product if you can — very valuable)
→ Your network (anyone who works/worked there?)
```

## How research helps

```text
✓ Answer "why do you want to work here?" genuinely and specifically
✓ Tailor your answers to their needs/values; speak their language
✓ Ask informed, thoughtful QUESTIONS (shows engagement)
✓ EVALUATE fit → is this company/role right for YOU? (research informs your decision)
✓ Reduce surprises; show genuine interest (a real differentiator)
```

## Why it matters

Understanding how to research a company before an interview is valuable career knowledge because **good research improves interview performance and informs your decision**, so it affects both getting offers and making good choices.

Researching a company matters for several reasons: it lets you **answer questions well** (especially "why do you want to work here?" genuinely and specifically), **ask thoughtful questions** (showing engagement), **show genuine interest** (a real differentiator, since candidates who clearly researched stand out from those who didn't), and **evaluate whether the company is right for you** (research informs your own decision about fit).

Understanding **what to research** — the product and business, the tech stack, the company's size/stage/values/culture, recent news, the role, and the interview process — covers the useful information.

Understanding **where to research** — the company website and engineering blog, LinkedIn, Glassdoor/Blind (with a critical eye), recent news, and especially **trying their product** if possible (very valuable for genuine understanding) and tapping your network — provides the practical sources.

Understanding **how research helps** — answering authentically, tailoring to their needs and values, asking informed questions, evaluating fit, and showing genuine interest — clarifies the concrete benefits.

Research both improves your candidacy (informed, engaged, tailored) and helps you make a good career decision (assessing fit).

Since good company research improves interview performance (better answers, thoughtful questions, demonstrated interest) and informs your own decision about fit, and since understanding what and where to research and how it helps makes research effective, understanding how to research a company before an interview is valuable, practically-relevant career knowledge — important for both interview success (engagement, tailored answers, good questions) and making informed career decisions (evaluating fit), a worthwhile preparation step that differentiates engaged candidates and supports good choices.