Company and Role Research

Why Research Matters

In the previous lesson, we explored tailoring applications fast. Now let’s build on that foundation. Most candidates do surface-level research. They skim the About page, maybe check Glassdoor. That’s table stakes.

Deep research does two things:

1. Helps you decide if you actually want this job
2. Gives you an edge over candidates who only know the basics

Let’s go deeper than the competition.

The Research Layers

Layer 1: Company Basics (5 min) What they do, size, growth, recent news

Layer 2: Role Understanding (10 min) What you’d actually do, team structure, success metrics

Layer 3: Culture Signals (10 min) What it’s really like to work there

Layer 4: Strategic Position (10 min) Where they’re headed, challenges, opportunities

Most candidates stop at Layer 1. Get to Layer 3-4 and you’ll stand out.

Layer 1: Company Basics

Get the foundation:

AI: "Give me a company overview for [Company Name].

Include:
- What they do (products/services)
- Size (employees, revenue if public)
- Stage (startup, growth, enterprise)
- Recent news (last 3-6 months)
- Key competitors
- Any notable achievements or concerns"

This is your baseline. It’s necessary but not differentiating.

Layer 2: Understanding the Actual Role

Job descriptions tell you what they want. But what will you actually do?

Decode the job description:

AI: "Analyze this job description and tell me:

1. What would a typical week look like in this role?
2. What are the likely biggest challenges?
3. What would success look like in 6 months? 12 months?
4. What's probably NOT in this description but comes with the role?
5. What questions should I ask to understand this role better?

[Paste job description]"

Find similar role perspectives:

• Search LinkedIn for people with this job title at this company
• Look for Medium posts or interviews by people in similar roles
• Check YouTube for “day in the life” content in this function

Questions to answer:

• Who would I report to? Who’s on the team?
• Is this a new role or backfill?
• What tools and processes would I use?
• What’s the actual scope vs. what’s written?

Layer 3: Culture Signals

Culture is hard to assess from outside. But signals exist.

Glassdoor (with caveats):

• Read reviews from the last 2 years
• Look for patterns, not outliers
• Filter by department if possible
• Check “Advice to Management”—reveals real issues

LinkedIn signals:

• How long do people stay? (High turnover = red flag)
• Where do people go after? (Career trajectory)
• What do people say about working there?

Company content:

• Engineering blogs (show technical culture)
• Social media (show external personality)
• Interview processes described online

AI: "Based on these Glassdoor reviews, what patterns
do you see about the company culture?

[Paste 5-10 representative reviews]

What are likely strengths?
What are likely problems?
What should I ask about to verify?"

Layer 4: Strategic Position

Understanding where the company is headed shows sophistication.

For public companies:

• Earnings calls (search for transcripts)
• SEC filings (10-K for annual strategy)
• Analyst reports and news coverage

Quick check: Before moving on, can you recall the key concept we just covered? Try to explain it in your own words before continuing.

For private companies:

• Recent funding and what they said they’d use it for
• Press releases about products or expansion
• Industry reports about their market

AI-assisted analysis:

AI: "Analyze the strategic position of [Company Name].

Based on publicly available information:
1. What are their growth initiatives?
2. What challenges are they likely facing?
3. Who are their main competitors and how are they positioned?
4. What opportunities might they be pursuing?
5. What questions could I ask that would show I understand their business?

Industry: [Industry]
Stage: [Startup/Growth/Enterprise]"

Research for Interview Preparation

Once you have an interview, go deeper:

Research your interviewers:

AI: "Help me prepare to interview with this person.

Their LinkedIn: [Paste profile summary]
My role: [Role I'm applying for]

What might they care about in this interview?
What questions might they ask given their background?
What topics could we have a genuine conversation about?"

Research the interview process:

• Glassdoor “Interviews” section
• Blind app for tech companies
• LinkedIn posts about the company’s interview process

Building a Research One-Pager

Before any interview, create a reference document:

COMPANY: [Name]
ROLE: [Title]

COMPANY OVERVIEW
- What they do:
- Size/stage:
- Recent news:

MY FIT
- Why I'm interested:
- What I bring:
- Potential concerns to address:

KEY POINTS TO MAKE
- [Point 1]
- [Point 2]
- [Point 3]

QUESTIONS TO ASK
- [Question 1]
- [Question 2]
- [Question 3]

INTERVIEWER NOTES
- [Name]: [Background, topics of interest]
- [Name]: [Background, topics of interest]

Review this before every interview round.

Questions Worth Asking

The questions you ask reveal how deeply you’ve thought about the role.

Generic questions (everyone asks these):

• “What’s the culture like?”
• “What’s a typical day?”
• “What are growth opportunities?”

Better questions (show you’ve researched):

• “I read you recently [specific initiative]. How does this role contribute to that?”
• “Looking at the team’s work on [specific project], what’s the biggest challenge right now?”
• “Given [industry trend], how is the company thinking about [relevant topic]?”

Questions that help you decide:

• “What would success look like in 6 months?”
• “What happened to the last person in this role?”
• “What’s the hardest part about this job that’s not in the job description?”

Exercise: Research a Target Company

Pick a company you’re interested in.

Spend 30 minutes going through all four layers:

1. Company basics
2. Role understanding
3. Culture signals
4. Strategic position

Create a one-pager you could use for an interview.

Note what you couldn’t find—those become interview questions.

Key Takeaways

• Most candidates stop at surface research; go deeper for an edge
• Layer 1-2: Company basics and role understanding (table stakes)
• Layer 3-4: Culture signals and strategic position (differentiation)
• Research helps you decide AND perform better in interviews
• Create a one-pager for every company you interview with
• Your questions reveal your preparation—make them specific

Next: Preparing for interviews with AI practice sessions.

Up next: In the next lesson, we’ll dive into Interview Preparation.