Researching Your Interviewer
When preparing for an upcoming interview, researching the interviewer, can be the difference between landing your dream job and getting overlooked entirely. The first place we suggest starting your research, is the company website. If they have staff profiles or a "get to know me" section, that's great.
Then hit LinkedIn - this will tell you a lot about how they choose to convey their relationship with the company you are about to interview with. Additionally, some choose to share hobbies and interests on their profiles and if you have anything in common - note it! Once you've scoured their profile, look through some of their close connections within the company. Review the profiles of others who are employed there.
Lastly, utilize Google. You can find additional resources, such as publications they've written (Google Scholar), their college alumni, the Bake Sale they volunteer with every weekend, etc.
If you are coming up short in any of these other areas, you can always turn to others in the company, as well. Ask around about the interviewer, make connections with the office personnel so they give you the scoop.
Keep in mind, most hiring managers are hopeful that you are the best candidate. And they are equally anxious about the hiring process, as you are. They are secretly rooting for you to be "the one" they can hire, trust and move forward with. To sum up: The interviewer is hoping you will do your homework and conduct diligent research on the company - so do not hesitate to do some thorough digging into the hiring manager and the organization.
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