Interview · UK 2026
How to research a company before a UK interview
Time
45 mins
Difficulty
Easy
Steps
7
Interviewers can tell within 30 seconds whether you researched the company. The candidates who land second rounds aren't the ones who memorised the About page — they're the ones who found one or two non-obvious facts and dropped them naturally into the conversation. Here's the 30-45 minute method that works.
Step-by-step
- 1
Read one careers or engineering blog post in depth
Spend 10 minutes on one specific recent post. Make a note of one phrase or idea you can reference. Not the whole blog — one piece, in depth.
- 2
Read the founder or CEO's last 3 LinkedIn posts
Tells you their current priorities and tone. Senior interviewers often quote their own LinkedIn posts; recognising the framing scores you points.
- 3
Find the most recent product launch announcement
On their website (news/press) or in TechCrunch, Sifted, or industry press. One specific product or initiative you can mention.
- 4
Skim Glassdoor and one Reddit thread
Look for patterns, not single complaints. If 5+ reviews independently mention culture in similar terms, that's signal. Single negative reviews are usually noise.
- 5
Check funding stage and trajectory
Crunchbase or Dealroom for funding history. Last raise, lead investor, total raised. Affects how you frame growth-stage vs established-corporate questions.
- 6
Identify the interviewer on LinkedIn
Their tenure, prior company, what they post about. Tailor your style to theirs — direct interviewers value direct answers; technical interviewers value depth.
- 7
Plan one question that proves you researched
"I noticed your engineering blog post on [specific topic]. How does the team approach [related question]?" One specific question is worth 10 generic ones.
Common mistakes to avoid
- ✗Memorising the About page — interviewers wrote it; they don't want it recited back.
- ✗Generic praise of "the company\'s reputation" — flags zero research.
- ✗Skipping the LinkedIn check on the interviewer — wastes the personalisation lever.
- ✗Reading old news (12+ months) — flags out-of-date research.
- ✗Dropping multiple facts at once — feels rehearsed; one specific reference works better.
Recruiter pro tip
The single phrase that consistently lifts a candidate above 80% of competition: "I noticed [specific recent thing about the company]. How does the team approach [related question]?". Hiring managers remember the candidates who picked up on something specific they care about. Specific beats comprehensive every time.