What if the company is so small I cannot find anything about them online?

Small companies are actually easier to research because you can talk to people. Look up the company on LinkedIn. Find someone who works there or used to work there. Send a polite message saying you are interviewing and would appreciate any insight into the company culture. Most people are willing to help. If you cannot find anyone, prepare questions that get the interviewer to tell you about the company during the interview. 'Can you tell me about the company's founding story?' or 'What is the biggest challenge the company is facing right now?' are good openers.

How much of my research should I mention in the interview?

Two or three references is enough. One when they ask why you want to work there. One when you answer a question about how you would approach the role. And one in your questions at the end. More than that sounds rehearsed. Less than that sounds unprepared. The sweet spot is showing that you did the work without turning the interview into a book report.

Should I tell the interviewer I researched them on LinkedIn?

Yes, but frame it positively. Instead of 'I looked you up on LinkedIn,' say 'I noticed on your LinkedIn profile that you also started your career in logistics before moving into operations. I would love to hear how you made that transition.' This is flattering, not creepy. It shows you are thorough and genuinely interested in the person you are talking to, not just the company.

What if I research the company and realize I do not want to work there?

That is a win. It is better to figure that out before the interview than after you accept the offer. You saved yourself time and you freed up the interview slot for someone who actually wants the job. Politely cancel the interview and move on to the next opportunity. Not every company is the right fit. Research is how you find out which ones are.

How to Research a Company Before Your Interview (So You Sound Like You Belong There)

By GetVetsHired · July 2026 · 5 min read

You get the interview. You prepare for the questions about your experience. You have your STAR method stories ready. You show up on time, dressed right, ready to go. And then the interviewer asks: 'So what do you know about us?' You freeze. You say something vague about their website. You can feel the energy leave the room. Here is the truth: most candidates do zero research on the company before the interview. If you do thirty minutes of targeted research, you immediately separate yourself from 80% of the applicant pool. Here is exactly what to look up and how to use it in the interview.

Why company research matters more than most veterans think

In the military, the organization is the organization. You do not need to research the Army before you show up to work. In the civilian world, every company is different. Different culture. Different priorities. Different problems. The interviewer is not just evaluating whether you can do the job. They are evaluating whether you want to work at their company specifically, or whether you are just applying to every job that pays. If you cannot talk about the company with some depth, the interviewer assumes you are in the second category. And they will hire the candidate who seemed like they actually wanted to be there. Thirty minutes of research before the interview is the difference between sounding like you are applying to a job and sounding like you are applying to their job.

The 30-minute research routine

You do not need hours. You need the right information in the right order. Here is a 30-minute routine that gets you everything you need to sound informed and interested:

Minutes 0 to 5: the company website. Do not just read the homepage. Go to the 'About Us' page. Read the mission statement. Read the company history. Find out when they were founded, how many employees they have, and what markets they serve. Write down three key facts.
Minutes 5 to 10: the products or services page. Understand what the company actually sells. Not the industry. The specific product. If they make software, know what the software does. If they provide a service, know who their customers are. Write down one sentence that describes what the company does in plain English.
Minutes 10 to 15: the news or press page. Look for recent announcements. Did they launch a new product? Open a new location? Win an award? Get a new contract? Recent news is the best material for interview questions because it shows you are paying attention to what is happening right now.
Minutes 15 to 20: the careers page and social media. Read the company values. Read the employee testimonials. Check their LinkedIn page. Look at their Instagram if they have one. You are looking for clues about the culture. Are they formal or casual? Do they emphasize innovation or stability? Do they talk about work-life balance or high performance? These clues tell you how to position yourself in the interview.
Minutes 20 to 25: the job description, one more time. Re-read the job posting. This time, look for the problems the company is trying to solve by hiring this role. Every job posting is a description of a problem. 'We need someone to manage our inventory system' means they have inventory problems. 'We need someone to improve team productivity' means their team is underperforming. Identify the problem. Prepare to talk about how you will solve it.
Minutes 25 to 30: prepare three questions. Based on everything you learned, write down three questions you want to ask the interviewer. These questions should show that you did your research and that you are thinking about the role, not just the paycheck. Examples: 'I saw that you expanded into the Midwest market last quarter. How does this role support that expansion?' or 'Your careers page mentions a focus on continuous improvement. What does that look like day to day on this team?'

What to look for on the company website (beyond the homepage)

The homepage is marketing. It tells you what the company wants customers to think. The pages that matter for your interview are deeper. The investor relations page, if it is a public company, tells you about revenue, growth, and strategy. The leadership page tells you who runs the company and what their backgrounds are. The blog or resources page tells you what the company thinks about its industry. The customer stories or case studies page tells you who they serve and how they talk about their work. Each of these pages gives you material for the interview. If the company just published a blog post about a new regulation affecting their industry, ask the interviewer how the company is adapting to it. If the leadership page shows that the CEO came from a military background, mention it. You are not just looking for facts. You are looking for connection points.

How to use your research in the interview without sounding rehearsed

The goal is not to recite facts about the company. The goal is to weave your research into the conversation naturally. Here is what that sounds like: when the interviewer asks 'Why do you want to work here,' do not say 'Because you are a great company.' Say 'I have been following your expansion into renewable energy. I saw that you broke ground on two new solar farms last quarter. My background in site operations and safety management seems like a direct fit for where you are heading.' That answer proves you did your research and connects your experience to the company's actual priorities. When the interviewer asks if you have any questions, do not say 'What is the culture like.' Say 'I read your company values on the careers page. You emphasize ownership and accountability. How does that show up in the way this team operates day to day.' That question shows you read the page and you are thinking about how you would fit in. Do not overdo it. Two or three well-placed references to your research are enough. The goal is to sound informed, not like you memorized the annual report.

What to do if you cannot find much information about the company

Some companies are small. Some are private. Some have terrible websites. If you cannot find much, do not panic. Here is what to do instead: search for the company on LinkedIn. Look at the profiles of people who work there, especially people in the department you are applying to. What do their backgrounds look like? What skills do they list? This tells you what the company values. Search for the company on Glassdoor. Read the employee reviews. Take them with a grain of salt (angry people are more likely to leave reviews than happy people) but look for patterns. If five reviews mention the same thing, it is probably true. Search for the interviewer on LinkedIn. If you know who is interviewing you, look at their background. Did they serve in the military? Do they have a similar career path to yours? A shared background is an instant connection point. The goal of all this research is the same: find something you can talk about that shows you did your homework and you are serious about the role.

The one question that impresses every interviewer

At the end of every interview, the interviewer will ask if you have questions. Most candidates ask about pay, benefits, or work hours. Those are fine questions but they are about you, not about the company. The question that separates you from the pack is some version of: 'What would success look like in this role six months from now?' This question does three things. It shows you are thinking about the role, not just the paycheck. It tells the interviewer you are results-oriented. And it gives you specific information about what the company actually values, which you can use in your follow-up email and in future interviews. Write this question down. Use it in every interview. You cannot ask the same question about pay at every company. But you can ask this question at every company and it always works.

Turn your research into a better resume before you even walk in the door

The research you do for the interview should also inform your resume. If you learn that the company is expanding into a new market, make sure your resume highlights any experience you have with expansion, scaling, or new market entry. If you learn that the company values safety above everything, make sure your resume emphasizes safety accomplishments. If you learn that the company uses specific software or systems, make sure those keywords appear on your resume if you have experience with them. The best job candidates treat the resume and the interview as two parts of the same strategy. The resume gets you in the door. The interview gets you the offer. But both should be tailored to the same company, using the same research. A tailoring tool can align your resume with the specific company and job description in minutes. You do the research. The tool does the rewriting. You walk into the interview with a resume that looks like it was written for that company and a set of questions that prove you did your homework.

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