Research a company before your interview

Paste this into whatever AI tool you use. Fill in the brackets.

I'm interviewing at a company and need to research them quickly. Here's what I know:

**Company name:** [Company name]
**Role I'm interviewing for:** [Job title]
**Anything I already know:** [Optional: "They're a Series B startup" or "They make project management software" or leave blank]

Give me a company briefing with these sections:

**1. What they actually do**
Explain their product/service in plain language. Who are their customers? How do they make money? Keep it to 3-4 sentences.

**2. Recent news and activity**
What's happened in the last 6-12 months? Funding rounds, product launches, leadership changes, partnerships. If you can't find recent news, say so honestly.

**3. Culture signals**
Based on their careers page, LinkedIn, and any public info: what do they seem to value? Remote vs. in-office? Fast-moving startup or established process? Any red flags?

**4. Their competition**
Who are their main 2-3 competitors? How do they position themselves differently?

**5. Things I should mention in the interview**
Based on all of the above, give me 3-4 specific talking points I can drop into conversation. These should show I understand their business, not just their job description.

**6. Questions this research raises**
Are there things I should ask about based on what you found? Maybe something about their recent pivot, their growth plans, or how this role fits their direction.

Keep everything concise. I'm prepping, not writing a report.

Tips for better results

• Use an AI tool with web access for this one (ChatGPT with browsing, Perplexity, etc.). Without live data, you’ll only get information up to the training cutoff.
• Cross-check anything that sounds important. AI can hallucinate company details, especially for smaller companies.
• If the company is small or private, you might get thin results. Supplement by checking their LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and recent blog posts yourself.
• Once you have the output, paste it into the interview prep prompt. Company context makes your predicted questions and STAR answers way more relevant.
• If you’re reaching out to someone at the company on LinkedIn, this research also helps you write a better outreach message.