Research the Company

The Premium People Recruitment Group guide to researching your prospective employer.

Find out as much information as possible about your prospective employer in advance.
Many now have websites which are packed with information. Familiarize yourself with mission statements, past performance, future goals and current analyst ratings. Be aware that if your prospective employer does have a comprehensive website, you may seriously compromise your chances if it becomes apparent you have not taken time to research it.

Before going to your interview, make sure you prepare yourself by finding as much as you can about the hiring organisation.
There are numerous sources of information about nearly every company. Information is on the internet, in the library, in shops, in databases and available from the recruitment company (if the job has been sourced through an agency).

In particular, the internet should give you a wealth of information about the company and the industry in which the company operates.
Most industries also have trade publications so have a read through these publications to gain knowledge about the industry and current trends and issues that they face.

Call the company/agency and request sales literature, annual reports, technical information, product brochures, information and so on.

Log on to the internet and visit the company website, spending time looking at financial information and gaining a good understanding of what the company does, and their goals and values.

If available, also access the press area of the website. This will give you articles from the media and insightful information about the company. It will also ensure you are aware of recent press releases involving the company.

If the company website does not have a press area, access information online through search engines such as Google or MSN. Alternatively, log on to media sites, such as The Financial Times website, and run a search on the company.

If there is no company website, it is still easy to research your employer.
All national newspapers and professional magazines have online sites with archive articles. You can also use web search engines just by entering the company name. Talk to anyone you know who has worked at the organization. If all else fails, try phoning the company and requesting general information.