Tough interview question, “What do you know about the company”.

“That’s all you know about the company? This isn’t a tough interview question.”

Tough interview question

The classic “Tell me what you know about our company” should not be a tough interview question. With preparation, it should be very easy and is one we know we should absolutely expect in any job interview.  I ask it of every candidate who interviews with us, and I do this for one specific reason.

I would like to see how much research the candidate has conducted on our company. This question is a litmus test:  The more in-depth the answer, the more sincere your interest in the position. No explanation or a short answer usually indicates no interest.

With the Internet at our disposal, company web pages, and simple Google searches, it doesn’t take effort or a rocket scientist to figure out what any company does.

The answers below will usually end an interview

The recruiter won’t say the interview is over. In their mind, they have moved on.

• “I didn’t have much time to see what you guys do. Can you tell me about your company?”
• “I don’t know. That is why I am here: to see if you guys are interesting.”

Sadly, I hear the above regularly. If the candidate were even the slightest bit interested in the company or the position, it would be human nature to look into the opportunity. A minimum level of “natural curiosity” research would be able to answer this basic interview questions.

Minimum expectations

If an employee were asked to meet with a customer, there would be an expectation to show SOME interest in the customer. This would show our customer that we as a company give a damn. Research would provide us with talking points and questions about recent developments with this customer. Research would help the meeting run smoothly.  The last thing we would want is an employee meeting with a paying customer and asking the customer, “Hey, I don’t know what you guys do. Can you fill me in”?

Answering this tough interview question also demonstrates our ability to conduct a thorough analysis of the competition.

Requisite dating analogy

If we are hot on someone, you can bet that there will be some amount of Facebook stalking involved, AKA “research.”  You can bet we will conduct an image search on Google and look for a blog, a Pinterest account, or some other social media avenue we can explore.  Only when we are NOT interested in someone do we show up wearing our everyday wife-beater, dirty sneakers, and no prior knowledge.  AKA, no research.

You may not let on that you know everything about this Hottie, but I am confident you will be dropping hints that you are interested in the same things your crush is into. You may be suddenly quoting Dostoevsky, finding yourself at the Museum of Modern Art, or talking about an appreciation of some niche indie film.  These are topics we knew nothing about prior, but these are the sacrifices we make for the Crush.  We would try to create connections and common talking points with Ms. Hottie. Yes, we are perpetrating, but at least we did our research.

Answer with no momentum

The lack of a researched answer I receive 75% of the time does not kill an interview. Not doing any research doesn’t move the hiring process forward.  Because many candidates are unprepared, I consider this a challenging interview question.

“I know Acme Data started in 1997, and you guys are in the Big Data space. I’m not sure if you’re profitable yet, as you’re privately held, but since you work with big Fortune clients, I assume you are.  You have won several “Best Place to Work” awards, and your CEO is John Doe.

Now, at first glance, this may sound OK, but let’s break this answer down

• This answer took a total of 4 seconds to blurt out.
• Our candidate excelled in the year the company was founded.  “WhooHoo”. 
• I asked what “DO” you know, and heard that the candidate doesn’t know if we are profitable. 
• We have heard about larger clients, but frankly, these logos are usually on any website’s home page or partner page.
• They figured out the name of our CEO and said that we had won a “Best Place to Work” award.  Thanks for checking out the “team” and “career” pages.   

All the above research took about 40 seconds.

Back to the hottie that we are stalking on Facebook

If your bestie were to ask about your new crush, you could wax eloquently for minutes about likes, dislikes, interests, friends, and, of course, your competition.  We wouldn’t look at bestie blankly and say, “We haven’t gone on a date yet, so I don’t know anything.  Duhhh”

The candidate may have conducted extensive research, but I am left with the impression that they only reviewed three pages on our website and nothing else. Lesson learned: As a hiring manager, I may be Nasty, a mind reader I am not.

“Talk to me about the company” is a “checkbox” question

As someone conducting an interview, I want to ask it and move on. This is a gimme interview question.  This should be as easy as turning in your references.  What I am left with is hesitation as my number 2 pencil approaches the check box.

This will be one of the first questions asked and will set the tone for the rest of the interview.  Answer this question thoughtfully and carefully. Throw in a few confirming questions for good measure, and you will set the stage for a 2nd and 3rd interview.

Prove you are interested in the position

So, what do I want to hear when I ask this so-called tough interview question? What will impress me?  How much SHOULD you know?  Frankly, you should know so much that I shut you down with an “OK, you did your research, you know who we are” as my pencil makes a check mark.

Below are the key points I would like to hear about when I ask about our company.  When I say “all of the things,” I don’t mean to pick 2 or 3.  I mean, I want to hear about everything.  Please pull out your notes, which should include research, and confirm your findings with me.  This sets a collaborative tone vs. a robotic question-and-answer dialogue.

The deets’

1. Year founded
2. Name of CEO
3. Name of the person heading up the department we are interested in
4. A few of the lines of business that the company is involved in and how they are doing.
5. A few of our clients and precisely what we are doing with them.
6. Our competition, where they are strong and where they are weak.
7. Recent news within the company
8. If the company is public, revenue, market cap, stock symbol, stock price, and an analyst rating or two
9. Regardless of the company’s reputation, please tell me how you feel that this is a great place to work, based on something you’ve read. You may be applying to a Mongolian prison, but think of something positive to say about us as a workplace. (We are keeping society safe from the dangerous and insane.)

You are an insider

Inside news, which you uncover via your network or research that isn’t available via our webpage, is always a highlight. Confirming the following can establish a conversational dialogue between colleagues, rather than allowing the interview to languish in an unemotional Q&A format between the interviewer and candidate.

1. New products or features that are coming out
2. The company’s approach to the industry differs from that of our competition.
3. News about the industry shows you didn’t just study the company

We do not want to bring up anything negative about the company.  No one wants to hear that their baby is ugly upon first meeting someone, and recruiters are no different.  Even if my baby has a runny nose, wails, and is a crybaby, my baby is beautiful, my baby is perfect.

Answer to thrive, not just survive

The above will check the appropriate box and demonstrate how to conduct a competitive analysis.  The above answer will also impress the crap out of me.  List the 12 items above, and you will set the tone for the rest of the interview!

See you at the after party,
HRNasty

nasty: an unreal maneuver of incredible technique, something that is ridiculously good, tricky, and manipulative but with a result that can’t help but be admired, a phrase used to describe someone good at something. “He has a nasty forkball”.

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