Just as you must know yourself before you begin an interview, so too must you know your prospective employer. Knowledge of the company helps you tailor your responses to questions and gives you confidence. It shows the interviewer that you care about the company and want to make a well-informed decision, and it gives you fodder for posing impressive questions to the interviewer. All of the information you gather will help you anticipate the company culture and gauge the expectations that they will have of you.

Understanding the Mission

At a minimum, you need to discover the company's purpose and trajectory. The employer will be convinced that you do not care about the job if you have to ask what they do. Look on the company website to discover how the company presents itself. Make sure you can articulate what the company mission statement is. If the company has a tag line, memorize that as well. If available, request a copy of its annual report. For newsworthy companies, check media sources like newspapers and business magazines to find out where the company is going and what its challenges are. Discover if they have any specific goals for the near future, like the production of new products or new partnerships. Talk with someone who works there or has worked there to find out whether the company fulfills its mission.

Study the Market

You also must familiarize yourself with the company's market. If they sell a product, who are their target customers? If they provide a service, to whom is it rendered? What is the nature of the products or services? These are the kinds of things you should be conversant in when you sit down for an interview. In addition, it is useful to know who are the company's competitors. Is it a business down the street, a conglomerate, a new or established company?

Company Structure

Find out what the structure and scope of the company is. Besides identifying whether the company is small, medium, large, or enormous, you need to know its configuration. Is it a division of a larger company or owned by a parent company? Does it own other companies? What are its strategic alliances? Is it a local, national, or international company? Also discover whether the company has divisions and what they are. It is also useful to know at what stage of growth the company is. Have they recently grown or laid off employees? At what rate? Using your internet, media, and personal sources, uncover as much as you can about the internal workings of the company.

Know the Customer

Moreover, it is useful to know how the company makes its money. Who are its clients or customers and how many of them are there? Is it a family-owned business or a start-up company funded by angels? Getting your hands on a share-holders report could be very illuminating as you determine what the company's earnings or losses are. Are their profits increasing or are they mired in debt? Is there another company funding them for a period of time at a loss? Compiling this information will enable you to assess the financial stability of the company.