How to Research a Company Beyond Its Homepage
How to Research a Company Beyond Its Homepage
Thorough company research is non-negotiable for a successful job interview. Going beyond the corporate homepage shows genuine interest, helps you ask intelligent questions, and allows you to determine if the company is the right fit for your career goals.
Why Standard Company Research Isn't Enough
The "About Us" page on a company website presents a carefully curated, public-facing image. It tells you what the company wants you to think.
To truly prepare, you need to uncover the reality of the day-to-day operations, the unspoken cultural norms, and the strategic challenges the company is actually facing. This deeper knowledge is what separates a good candidate from a great one.
Where to Find Authentic Company Insights
To get a 360-degree view, you must consult multiple sources. Each source provides a different piece of the puzzle, helping you build a more complete and nuanced understanding.
Employee Review Sites: Platforms like Glassdoor and Comparably offer anonymous reviews from current and former employees. Focus on trends in the comments, not just the star ratings.
- Mini-definition: Glassdoor reviews are candid, user-submitted ratings and commentary about a company's culture, salaries, interview process, and leadership.
Professional Networking Platforms: LinkedIn is a goldmine. Look up the company page, see who works there, and check the profiles of your potential manager and teammates to understand their backgrounds.
Financial News and Databases: For public companies, review their investor relations page for annual reports (10-K) and quarterly reports (10-Q). For private companies and startups, use tools like Crunchbase to find information on funding rounds and leadership.
- Mini-definition: A 10-K report is a comprehensive annual summary of a public company's financial performance, required by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Recent News and Media: Search for the company's name in Google News. Look for press releases, articles in industry publications, and interviews with executives. This tells you their recent wins, challenges, and strategic direction.
Research Source Comparison
| Source | What It's Good For | What to Be Cautious Of |
|---|---|---|
| Company Website | Official mission, product info, leadership team | Highly polished, marketing-focused language |
| Employee Reviews | Insights on culture, management, work-life balance | Can be skewed by disgruntled ex-employees |
| Employee backgrounds, company growth, recent hires | Information is self-reported by employees | |
| News Articles | Objective view of recent events, market position | May lack insight into internal day-to-day culture |
What to Look For: Key Areas of Investigation
Your research should be targeted. Don't just gather data; look for information that answers specific questions about your potential role and the company's health.
Focus on the company's mission and values, its key products or services, its main competitors, and its recent achievements or challenges. This information will fuel your interview answers and questions.
- Mini-definition: Company culture refers to the shared values, attitudes, standards, and beliefs that characterize members of an organization and define its nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
### How much time should I spend researching a company?
For an important interview, plan for at least 1-2 hours of deep research. The more senior the role, the more time you should invest in understanding the business strategy and competitive landscape.
### What's the best way to research a startup?
For startups, focus on their funding history using a source like Crunchbase. Research the founders and their previous ventures. Look for articles in tech-focused publications like TechCrunch to understand their product-market fit and growth trajectory.
### Where can I find information on company salaries?
Sites like Glassdoor and Levels.fyi provide user-reported salary data. While not always exact, they give you a valuable benchmark for negotiating and understanding your market worth.
Supercharge Your Research with Cruit
Cruit provides a strategic advantage by connecting your profile directly to the research process, turning raw data into actionable interview intelligence.
Job Analysis Module: Paste in the job description to get a deep analysis of the required skills. This immediately tells you what the company values most for this specific role, guiding your research to focus on those key areas.
Networking Module: After identifying key employees on LinkedIn, use Cruit's AI Networking Guide to draft personalized outreach messages. Ask for a 15-minute informational interview to gain insider knowledge you can't find anywhere else.
Interview Prep Module: Cruit generates likely interview questions based on the role and your resume. This process inherently reveals the company's priorities, helping you connect your research directly to compelling, relevant stories about your experience.
This guide was created by Cruit, a career growth platform that helps professionals build and execute their career strategy.