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How to use employer research effectively to support your applications

Why is employer research important

Carrying out employer research is an essential part of producing high-quality, tailored applications that will stand out to prospective employers. Undertaking thorough research about the organisation you have applied to will also put you in a stronger position when you are preparing for further stages of the recruitment process, including interviews.

Read our guide below to find out more about how to use employer research effectively to support your applications.

Why is employer research important?

Making better decisions

As part of your search for relevant opportunities, researching specific organisations will support you in making informed decisions about how to utilise your time effectively. The last thing you want to do is to invest time in an application to an employer who doesn’t offer the right “fit” for you.

A consideration of whether an organisation aligns to your personality, skills, experience and values will be crucial to ensure you apply to the right role.

Tailoring your application

Employers will want to understand from your application how you will “fit” with their culture, aims and values. They need to see this captured at all stages of the recruitment process – from producing a targeted CV and cover letter to online recruitment tasks, through to assessment centres and interviews.

The most impressive applications will highlight to the employer why you are drawn to their organisation and why you want to work with them specifically. Think about what matters to you and be specific about why you are applying to both the company and the position.

Confidently discuss your motivation

It is almost inevitable that at some point during the recruitment process – whether an employer asks you to address it in your cover letter or application form, or through a question posed during an interview – you will be asked “why do you want to work for us?”

If you haven’t fully understood both the organisation and the role that you are applying to then this will be highlighted in your response to this question. Being underprepared may impact your confidence and set the tone for the rest of your interview experience.

How to carry out effective employer research

Whilst everyone will have their own approach to conducting employer research, we have highlighted some key sources of information to consider:

  • Access the company’s website – this is an important resource to help you understand the company’s mission, vision and strategy, their products/services, clients and their latest projects or activities. You can access information about the company’s history, progress with projects and their values. Also explore their careers or “working with us” page to find out more about their recruitment process and development opportunities.
  • Follow the latest news through industry-specific publications, websites, and blogs – whether it’s through professional online networking sites, the BBC, newspapers or more specific sector-focused websites, identify more in-depth information and trends to inform your applications. This will showcase your research skills and that you have genuinely considered how the sector, role and organisation align with your experience.
  • Look at the company’s social media accounts – keeping up to date with an organisation’s content through social media might offer insights that aren’t readily available on their website. You might look for information from employees, more about opportunities and events, as well as training and development. Social media could include Facebook, Instagram, X, or TikTok.
  • Connect with current or former employees – people, whether they are well-established contacts, or new connections you have made through online or in-person networking with current or former employees, offer a great resource to support your research. You might look to have conversations in-person, connect with people via social media, or to reach out via email or telephone.

Using your research to tailor your application

Overall, using employer research effectively to tailor your application will put you in a stronger position to reach the next stage of the recruitment process. Recruiters can easily spot those applications where candidates haven’t attempted to tailor their information but equally will recognise and appreciate those individuals who have taken the time to utilise their research to target the specific employer.

So, how can you use your research to tailor your application?

  • Mission statement / strategy – reference your own understanding of the organisation’s priority areas within your cover letter or supporting statement and explain why these are important to you and how you envisage contributing to them in the role you are applying to.
  • Values – take time to consider and reflect upon the values of the organisation and how these align with your own personal and career values. Wherever possible, ensure you offer tangible evidence of your commitment to the same value(s), for example, by discussing organisations you have previously worked for, specific projects you have worked on, and/or interests or activities in your spare time.
  • Training and development – if through your research you have explored the development opportunities offered, you could look to discuss these in relation to your own career aspirations and longer-term goals. An employer will want to know that you are both committed and motivated to achieve. Where possible, offer examples of your commitment through previous training undertaken.
  • Sector/industry news – your cover letter or supporting statement offers a great opportunity to showcase that you have understood the organisation’s position within their sector or industry. Highlighting a particular news item you have been drawn to and relating it to your own experience, expertise, and/or specialism is a further way to ensure your content resonates with the reader.

Using your research to prepare for your interview

All of the suggestions outlined above about how to use employer research to effectively support and tailor your applications, can equally apply to your interview preparation, but you might also consider the following:

  • Motivation-based questions: these will focus on your motivation to work with the organisation. You need to be both confident and articulate in addressing this, so focus on 2-3 key things about the organisation that you have been drawn to.
  • Behavioural questions: the understanding of the organisation you have developed through your research should include a sense of the culture of the company and the work environment. This, in turn, will offer an indication of what behaviours they will look for. Behavioural questions are designed to assess how you have behaved in past situations and to use this to predict your future performance. Questions could relate to conflict management, problem-solving, teamwork, leadership, decision-making and overcoming challenges. Make sure you have prepared some suitable examples to draw on linked to the behaviours you understand the employer will be looking for.
  • Challenging questions: you might find that during an interview an employer will delve deeper with your application or interview responses to establish how much research you have carried out. They could ask “what is your understanding of our organisation?”, “what differentiates us from our competitors?” or “what do you think our priorities should be over the next 12 months?” Carrying out thorough employer research will assist you in addressing such questions.

Overall, employer research can be a powerful tool to support your future applications, enabling you to meaningfully consider whether the organisation and role offer the right “fit” for you. Drawing on the information you have sourced about an employer can also lead to stronger applications, as well as enhanced interview preparation and performance.

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Written by Clare Hall

Clare Hall (née Pitkin) has been working in the UK Higher Education sector for over ten years, including with students' unions, university careers services, as well as conducting research on graduate employability and race equality in HE for the University of Birmingham. Clare completed her MA in Education Studies in 2019, with a research focus on employability in the curriculum. She has recently developed an online employability award programme for students at the University of Portsmouth, where she has also been working in information advice and guidance for eight years. Clare has regularly contributed to online careers advice content, developed workshops to enhance employability skills and prospects, and has contributed to academic journal articles.

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