Interview Prep

How to research a company before an interview

Walking in having read the homepage is the baseline everyone clears. The candidates who stand out know what the company actually does, where it might be struggling, and what the team they're joining is working on.

Good research does double duty. It helps you answer why do you want to work here, and it gives you sharp questions to ask, which is half of what interviewers remember.

Start with how they make money

Before anything else, understand the business. Who pays them, for what, and how that's going. A product company, an agency, and a marketplace are completely different to work for, and getting this right shapes everything you say.

If they're a startup, a quick look at their funding and stage tells you a lot about what the job will feel like. Early stage means scrappy and broad. Later stage means more process and specialization.

Read recent news and actually use the product

Search for the company in the last few months. A new funding round, a product launch, a leadership change, or a rough patch all give you something current to reference, which signals you did more than skim.

If they have a product you can try, try it. "I signed up over the weekend and noticed X" is one of the strongest things you can say, because almost nobody does it.

Look up the people you will meet

If you know who's interviewing you, a quick look at their background helps. Shared experience gives you a connection point, and knowing whether you're talking to an engineer or an executive changes how you pitch your answers.

Keep it professional and public. Read their work history and posts, not their personal life. The goal is context, not surveillance.

Turn research into questions

The point of all of this isn't to recite facts at them. It's to ask better questions. Research that turns into "I saw you just launched X, how is the team thinking about Y?" is worth more than any rehearsed answer.

Keep your notes for each company in one place so you walk in with the research, not a vague memory of having done it last week.

Quick reference

First

Understand how the company makes money

Current

Recent news, funding, launches to reference

The product

Try it if you can, almost nobody does

Payoff

Research becomes the questions you ask