PREPARATION IS KEY

A hiring manager recently told me that he didn’t hire the most technically skilled candidate—he hired the one who showed the most 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 (and this was for a technical job).
Right now, I’m speaking to a lot of candidates, and many ask questions that could be answered in just a few minutes of research.

One of the first things I always ask: 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞?

It’s surprising how many candidates say “no” or “not yet”—even during a prep call for an interview. What’s even more surprising? Some don’t even make time for a prep call and still walk into an interview without basic knowledge of the company.

👉 “ “𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑰’𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈.”
Unfortunately, that mindset doesn’t sit well with hiring managers—or recruiters. Firms want to see that you’re genuinely interested and proactive.

What they 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 want? Candidates who waste hiring managers time asking questions that are clearly answered on the first page of their website or making incorrect assumptions due to lack of preparation.

It reflects badly on 𝐲𝐨𝐮..
It reflects badly on 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫,, who may hesitate to put you forward in the future.

With all the resources available today, there’s no excuse for going into an interview unprepared.
The company’s website is an obvious place to start, but LinkedIn is also a great tool to understand:
✅ How many people work there
✅ What skill sets they hire
✅ Where they’re based

Here are real examples of things candidates have said in interviews:
❌ “𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲.” → The company operates only in the UK.
❌ “𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬.” → The fund doesn’t invest in emerging markets.
❌ “𝐈’𝐦 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐰.” → The company is actually smaller.
❌ “𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢-𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭?” → The website clearly states it’s a single-manager hedge fund.

Don’t let yourself down by walking into an interview blind. Do your research. It makes all the difference.