In this guide
Interviews and salary conversations
How to research a company before an interview
A focused research plan: what the organisation does, how it is changing, who you will meet and what the team needs, and how to use it in your answers.
Four questions to research
| Question | Where to look |
|---|---|
| What does it do, and for whom? | The organisation's own website, products or services pages |
| What is changing? | News pages, annual or impact reports, recent press coverage |
| What does the team need? | The job advert, other current vacancies in the same team |
| Who will I meet? | The invitation, and interviewers' public professional profiles |
A 45-minute research plan
- Ten minutes on the organisation's site: what it offers, who its customers or service users are, how it describes its priorities.
- Ten minutes on recent news or reports: one development you could ask about.
- Ten minutes on the team: other vacancies, what the advert stresses, any published work from that team.
- Five minutes on the interviewers' roles, so you know what each is likely to care about.
- Ten minutes turning it into two talking points and three questions.
Turning research into answers
Illustrative example
From a finding to an answer and a question
- Finding: a regional bus operator's annual report says it is moving to contactless-only payment next year.
- In an answer to “Why this role?”: “Your move to contactless payment means more customer questions in the first months, and handling a change like that is exactly what I did when my current employer changed its booking system.”
- As a question: “How is the customer team preparing for the switch to contactless-only?”
What not to spend time on
- Memorising founding dates, headcounts or financial figures you will not use.
- Reading anonymous reviews as if they were fact; treat them as prompts for questions at most.
- Researching interviewers' personal lives. Stick to their professional roles.
If something you read worries you, such as repeated reports of unpaid wages, it is reasonable to check it before accepting an offer. For whether an organisation and its recruiter are genuine at all, see the guide to checking that a company is real.
Common questions
How much research is enough?
Enough to explain clearly why you want to work there and to ask two or three informed questions. Usually under an hour for a first interview.
Should I mention something negative I found?
Raise it as a neutral, curious question if it affects the role, not as a criticism. For example, ask how the team has adapted after a recent restructure.
Put it into practice
Prepare with interview practiceDrafted with AI assistance and checked against Luceria’s editorial standards. Examples are illustrative, not real people’s results. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.