All interview tips
Preparation6 min read

Research the company thoroughly

Showing genuine, specific interest is the cheapest way to stand out — and it sharpens every answer you give.

Most candidates research the company for ten minutes the night before. Spending two focused hours instead is one of the highest-leverage things you can do — it changes how you answer behavioral questions, what you build in system design, and the quality of the questions you ask at the end.

What to actually look for

Generic research ("they make software, they have offices in Bangalore") helps no one. Go deeper on the things that let you connect your experience to theirs.

  • The product itself — sign up, click around, and form an honest opinion. You will be asked "what would you improve?"
  • The engineering blog and recent tech talks — they tell you the scale, stack, and problems the team cares about.
  • Recent news: funding, launches, layoffs, leadership changes. Indian product cos and funded startups move fast.
  • The interviewer, if you know who it is — a quick LinkedIn read on their background helps you pitch at the right level.

Turn research into leverage

Research is only useful if it shows up in your answers. When you describe a past project, frame the impact in terms the company would recognise. When you do system design, reach for trade-offs that match their scale.

For Indian candidates targeting MAANG, this is also where you separate "I applied everywhere" from "I want to work here specifically." Interviewers can tell the difference in the first five minutes.

How much is enough

Two to three hours per company is the sweet spot: enough to sound informed, not so much that you over-index on trivia. Write three to five things you genuinely find interesting — those become your "why this company" answer and your closing questions.

Key takeaways

  • Spend 2–3 focused hours per company, not 10 minutes the night before.
  • Use the actual product and read the engineering blog — opinions beat facts.
  • Convert research into specific "why this company" answers and closing questions.

Put it into practice

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