What do you know about our company? Sample answers

To answer "What do you know about our company?", give a 30-second summary of what the company does and who it serves, then one or two specific recent details from your research that interest you, and finish by connecting those details to your own background. Keep the whole answer to under two minutes.

It is one of the most solvable interview questions, and still one of the most often fumbled. It isn't a test of how clever you are. It checks whether you cared enough to prepare, and whether you can turn a few facts into a point of view.

Why this question matters more than it looks

Recruiters use it to separate people who want this job from people applying everywhere. One-click applications on LinkedIn, Indeed or Reed make generic candidates easy to spot, and a specific answer stands out immediately.

It also works as a sample of your work. For any role that involves analysis, clients or stakeholders, how you research a company before an interview shows how you will gather information on the job. And at the most basic level, it shows you respected the interviewer's time.

A 30-minute research checklist

You don't need hours. Thirty focused minutes give you enough for a credible, specific answer.

A few details make the difference.

• Website. Go past the homepage. The "About", "Products" and "Careers" pages tell you how they see themselves, and the blog shows what they think matters right now.
• Financial data. For commercial or strategic roles, UK companies file accounts with Companies House and US public companies publish 10-K filings on SEC EDGAR. Stated priorities are fair game in an interview.
• Reviews. They are noisy and skewed towards unhappy ex-employees, but repeated themes are worth knowing.

How to structure your answer

A strong answer has three components. Keep it to two minutes maximum.

Component 1, the summary (30 seconds). What the company does, who it serves and where it sits in the market. This proves you have the basics right.

Component 2, the detail that caught your attention (60 seconds). One or two specific things from your research that interest you, ideally recent: a product launch, a new market, a strategic initiative from their blog.

Component 3, the connection to you (30 seconds). Why those details matter given your background, skills or interests. This is the pivot from "I know about you" to "here is why I want to be here".

6 sample answers by situation

Each answer runs 60 to 90 seconds spoken. The companies and details are illustrations. Replace them with what you actually found.

A big, well-known brand

"Everyone knows your products, so I tried to look past that. You're one of the largest consumer goods companies in the country, with brands across food and household care. What interested me was your recent annual report, where you say you're cutting the number of brands to focus on the ones that grow. That's a big shift for a marketing team, because it means fewer, larger campaigns. In my current role I've run campaigns for two of our biggest product lines, so working on fewer, more important brands is exactly the kind of challenge I'm after."

A startup

"You're a two-year-old company building scheduling software for independent gyms, and from your LinkedIn posts you've just raised your first round and doubled the team. What stood out to me was your founder's post about wanting to keep onboarding personal even as you grow. I've spent two years in customer success at an early-stage company, setting up the first onboarding playbook, so I've seen what breaks when a small team scales. I'd like to help you keep that personal feel while handling three times the customers."

A non-profit or public sector organisation

"You support young people leaving care with housing and employment advice, mostly through partnerships with local councils. I read your latest impact report, and the part that stayed with me was the mentoring programme you piloted in two regions and now want to expand. I've volunteered as a mentor for three years and coordinated a team of twelve volunteers, so the expansion is exactly where I think I can help. I'd rather put my project skills into work like this than anywhere else."

Retail or hospitality, entry level

"You're a family-owned chain of cafés with eight sites in the city, and you roast your own coffee. I've been to your branch near the station a few times, and what I noticed is how quickly the team handles the morning rush while still chatting to regulars. Your website also says you train every new starter as a barista, which is a big reason I applied. I've worked weekends in a busy bakery for a year, so I'm used to queues, and I'd like to learn the coffee side properly."

Internship or graduate scheme

"You're an engineering consultancy working mainly on transport and water projects, and your graduate scheme rotates people through three teams in the first two years. I looked through your case studies, and the bridge refurbishment project on your website stood out, especially how you kept the road open during the works. My final-year dissertation was on maintenance planning for ageing structures, so that kind of project is exactly what I'd like to work on. The rotation also appeals to me because I want to understand the whole project cycle before I specialise."

When you found very little about the company

"I'll be honest, there isn't much published about you beyond your website and a few LinkedIn posts. From those, I understand you're a small firm that installs and maintains commercial refrigeration for restaurants and supermarkets across the region, and that most of your work comes from long-term service contracts. I'd like to hear more about how the team is organised. From the advert, the role is about keeping those contracts running smoothly, and that's what I've done for four years as a service coordinator."

Saying you found little is fine if you show what you did find and turn it into a question. It is very different from admitting you didn't look.

Questions to ask them about the company

Your research should also give you questions for the end of the interview. These five work almost everywhere.

1. "What are the team's priorities for the next six months?"
2. "How has the company changed since you joined?"
3. "What does success look like in this role after the first year?"
4. "What's the biggest challenge the team is facing right now?"
5. "I read about [specific launch or project]. How does this role connect to it?"

Cultural context across English-speaking markets

• UK. Interviewers respond well to calm, evidence-based answers that show you understand the company's market and competitors.
• US. Enthusiasm and directness are welcome. "I've done my homework and I'm excited about X because of Y" is fine.
• Australia. Genuine engagement beats rehearsed polish. A surprising observation from your research, shared respectfully, can start a real conversation.
• Canada. For companies in bilingual markets or regulated sectors like banking and telecoms, awareness of the local context can set you apart.

FAQ

What should I know about a company before an interview?

At minimum, what it sells and to whom, one recent piece of news or a project, and how the role you're applying for fits into the business. If you can add one thing about the team or the culture, even better.

How long should my answer be?

Under two minutes. Use three parts: a 30-second summary of what the company does, 60 seconds on one or two specific details, and 30 seconds connecting them to your own background.

What if I run out of time to research the company?

Even 30 minutes is enough for a credible answer. Read the "About" and "Products" pages, run a news search filtered to the past six months, and skim the company's LinkedIn page. One specific, recent detail beats a generic statement.

Should I mention things I found on Glassdoor?

Use reviews privately to calibrate your questions and judge whether to join. Never raise negative reviews in the interview itself. They make you look combative and rarely land well.

What should I never say to this question?

Never say "I didn't have much time to research" or "I know you're a well-known company." The first admits you failed to prepare. The second is so vague it is indistinguishable from knowing nothing.

The research you do for this question also answers why do you want to join our company and what do you look for in a company or work environment.

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