I've spent time as both an interviewer and an interviewee, and the single biggest difference between conversations I remember fondly and ones that fell flat is preparation. Not just "I looked at the company website" preparation — real, thorough preparation. Here's what I actually do.
I start with the hiring manager's LinkedIn. What have they posted or liked in the last year? Have they written any blog posts, been quoted in any articles, given any talks? What's their educational background? How fast did they move up — and did they get promoted internally? If they've been on a real fast track, I'll find a genuine way to acknowledge that during the Q&A. Flattery is most effective when it's specific and accurate.
Then the company itself. I look at their LinkedIn and social media for recent product launches, funding rounds (for startups), quarterly or annual performance highlights (for public companies), awards, and major client wins. For public companies I'll look at the annual report. For startups I'll check Crunchbase and look at the track record of their investors. I always read the blog and news section on the company website for the past year.
I dig into the actual website — not just the homepage. Are there gaps in their content? Does the lead-gen flow feel smooth? How do they compare to competitors? Are they actually creating useful things for their users? I'll check Glassdoor, G2 Crowd, and Trustpilot for honest takes from employees and customers.
On the SEO and paid side: does the company show up for their own branded terms and product keywords? How do they stack up against competitors in search?
If it's a startup with a very cheap product and expensive ad spend, that's a flag — it's probably burning investor capital with no path to profitability unless there's a very clear exit strategy.
Finally, I go through the job description line by line, highlight every requirement I can match, and write out two or three STAR stories (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for each one. I also ask around to see if any of my connections know what the culture is actually like — not just the Glassdoor version.
© 2026 Rachel Hong · Accelerator Consulting