An interview is really a sales presentation and your job is to show the company how you can solve their problems or fill an important need.  Similar to a doctor, you need to diagnosis the issue before you offer a prescription.  In the business world, that means you need to understand a company and what issues and challenges it’s facing before you start offering solutions.  So what research do you need to conduct before interviewing with a company in Bangkok?

First, you need to look over the job description and match each requirement with specific situations in your past that shows you have previous professional experience.   In brief, you want to be able to answer the following question, “tell me about a time when you..(job requirement)”so the company knows you have relatable industry experience.  Furthermore, you want to share with a potential employer that you not only have experience, you have success in performing similar tasks.  As an example, you would want to tell a company that not only do you have experience in managing a company within the same industry, you have experience in growing a similar company in both sales and net operating profit.

Next, you want to research the company by reviewing news articles, press releases, recent job openings, etc. so that you have a decent understanding of the organization on a macro level.  If you discover the company is introducing any new products or services to the market, you want to ask questions regarding these developments so the company knows you are aware of their evolution as an organization.

Third, you want to review Linkedin profiles to gain a better sense of the company and what they for in future employees.  For instance, if you notice the company hires lots of people from a specific company, you may have a better understanding of the kinds of experience they value.  Additionally, if you know something about the people you are interviewing with, it can provide you an opportunity to ask them about their background in way that illustrates you do your research.  Lastly, it’s important to ask the company about trends in staffing levels (is there noticeable turnover within a certain department, is there significant hiring, etc).

Finally, it can be very helpful to speak to clients and people in the industry who have insight into the company. As an example, speaking to a trusted friend who is a current or former employee can be an opportunity to learn about the management style of certain people or the financial circumstances of the company…all things the company may be unwilling to share with you during an interview.

Bottom line, people who spend more time researching companies before accepting offers make better decisions.