3 Ways to Learn About a Company and Impress the Hiring Manager

Teresa Torres argues that job seekers should research their target market and specific companies before applying, treating the search like product discovery. She suggests interviewing the target companies' customers, scouring online discussions for pain points, and mapping each company's product team to understand gaps. She then recommends informational conversations with current employees, where the goal is to learn rather than sell. The article closes by framing the candidate as a product designed to meet the company's unmet need, which matters because it replaces mass applications with targeted, evidence-based positioning.

01Key takeaways

• Narrow your target market before researching or applying, rather than sending resumes to everyone.
• Interview the target company's customers briefly to understand how they currently solve the problem.
• Use online discussions to find recurring pain points and the workarounds people already use.
• Map each target company's product team on LinkedIn to see its skills, gaps, and who you would work with.
• In informational interviews, ask employees about their work and challenges, and spend more time listening than selling.
• Use your research to position yourself as a solution to a real need, and move on if you cannot meet it.

02Key sections

Narrow your market first

The piece builds on earlier advice to stop sending resumes indiscriminately and to define a specific market. It uses a last-mile transportation example to ground the research.

Talk to your customers' customers

Interview people who use the target companies' services in the real world to learn how they solve the problem today. Short, focused questions can yield substantial context quickly.

Scour the internet for pain points

Online posts reveal common frustrations and workarounds. Comparing these with firsthand interviews helps build a complete customer persona.

Research the companies and their product teams

Use professional networks to map who builds the product, their skills, and their gaps. Imagining yourself as a future colleague clarifies what you could contribute.

Learn from employees through informational interviews

Reach out to current staff to ask about their work and the company's challenges, listening more than talking. Avoid selling yourself in these conversations.

Position yourself as the solution

Synthesize the research to identify an unmet need or skills gap you can fill. If no fit exists, the author advises choosing a different market.

03From the post

“In the last few posts, we talked about not sending your resume to anyone and everyone, and instead narrowing your market. Today, we'll look at how you can research your market and your specific target companies. Let's continue with our example. Suppose you defined your market as companies”

04Frameworks mentioned

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.