Interview preparation
Answer why this company with evidence
Pick one or two facts about the company that you can point to in its own material, such as a product page, a published report or a job posting. Link each to something in your own work or interests, then end with a question the research left open.
A text to start with
I am applying for [role] at [company]. Here are passages I copied from the company's own pages, with the page names: [passages and sources]. My relevant background and interests are: [short description]. Draft a thirty-second answer to why this company. Use only facts from the passages. List anything in my answer that the passages do not support.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Company evidence sheet
Company and role: [ ] Fact 1 about the company: [ ] Where it appears (page name and date viewed): [ ] My personal connection to it: [ ] Fact 2 about the company: [ ] Where it appears (page name and date viewed): [ ] My personal connection to it: [ ] Claims I could not source: [ ] Question this research leaves open: [ ] One-sentence answer to why this company: [ ]
Flattery and unsupported facts
Underline every claim about the company and find where it appears in the company's own material. If you cannot, cut it or turn it into a question. "Great culture" and "industry leader" describe a feeling, not a fact. Check dates, product names and team names against the page, since old articles can be out of date. Make sure the personal connection is true and specific to you. Do not repeat the mission statement back; show what you noticed.
Ask another agent to check the result
Compare my answer with the passages I pasted. Flag flattery and any fact the company's own material does not support. Mark claims vague enough to fit any employer. Do not add facts about the company from outside the passages.
Test the answer aloud
Practice the answer within the length you chose and see whether the company fact comes through without sounding recited. Save the source pages so you can reopen them before the interview in case something changed. Add your open question to the list you will ask, and drop it if the interview answers it first.