What Do You Think This Company Could Do Better? Interview Question Guide

When an interviewer asks what you think their company could do better, they’re testing far more than your knowledge of their organization. This deceptively simple question evaluates your analytical thinking, research thoroughness, communication diplomacy, and genuine interest in the opportunity. Answer poorly, and you appear either obsequious or offensively critical. Answer well, and you demonstrate the thoughtful perspective that makes candidates valuable team members. This comprehensive guide prepares you to navigate this challenging question with confidence and strategic insight.

Why Interviewers Ask This Question

Understanding the purpose behind this question helps you craft responses that address what interviewers actually want to learn.

Testing critical thinking abilities: Employers value employees who can analyze situations thoughtfully and identify improvement opportunities. This question reveals whether you think critically about organizations and markets rather than accepting status quo assumptions.

Evaluating research depth: Candidates who provide substantive answers have clearly researched the company beyond surface-level familiarity. Shallow answers signal insufficient preparation; thoughtful observations demonstrate genuine interest and initiative.

Assessing communication diplomacy: How you deliver potentially unwelcome feedback reveals professional maturity. Can you express concerns constructively? Do you balance criticism with recognition of strengths? These skills matter for workplace success.

Gauging industry awareness: Improvement suggestions often require understanding competitive landscapes and industry trends. Your answer demonstrates whether you see the company in broader context.

Understanding your perspective: Interviewers want to know how you think about business challenges. Your suggested improvements reveal priorities, assumptions, and analytical frameworks you’d bring to the role.

Determining cultural fit: How you handle this question—your tone, confidence, and approach—signals how you’d navigate similar discussions as an employee. Would you be a constructive critic or a difficult complainer?

The Preparation Foundation

Effective answers require substantial preparation. Before any interview, conduct research that enables insightful observations.

Review the company website thoroughly: Examine products, services, messaging, user experience, and positioning. Note what seems strong and what seems dated or unclear. Many improvement opportunities hide in plain sight on company websites.

Study competitor offerings: Understanding what competitors do well highlights potential gaps. Research direct competitors and adjacent offerings that might encroach on market position.

Read recent news and press releases: Current events reveal priorities, challenges, and strategic direction. Press releases show what the company wants to emphasize; news coverage shows what observers notice.

Examine customer reviews: Glassdoor, G2, Yelp, app store reviews, and other customer feedback sources reveal pain points the company may need to address. Patterns across reviews suggest systemic issues.

Analyze financial information: For public companies, quarterly reports and earnings calls provide official assessment of challenges and opportunities. For private companies, industry analysis may offer insights.

Use the product or service: Direct experience provides authentic perspective. Sign up for trials, visit stores, test mobile apps, or otherwise engage with offerings firsthand.

Talk to current or former employees: LinkedIn connections or networking events might connect you with people who can share insider perspectives on company challenges.

At 0portfolio.com, career coaches emphasize that thorough research before interviews demonstrates the initiative and analytical mindset employers seek—and enables confident answers to challenging questions like this one.

Framing Your Answer Strategically

The structure and framing of your answer matters as much as its content. Strategic framing demonstrates professional maturity.

Lead with genuine positives: Before suggesting improvements, acknowledge what the company does well. This establishes that you’re not simply negative and that you appreciate existing strengths. Example: “I’ve been really impressed by your customer service reputation and the innovative features in your mobile app.”

Position as opportunity, not criticism: Frame improvements as growth opportunities rather than failures. “An area that might offer growth potential…” sounds different than “You’re failing at…” Same content, different impact.

Use collaborative language: Speak as if you’re already thinking about solving problems together. “Something I’d be excited to work on…” or “An area where I could potentially contribute…” positions you as a solution-oriented team member.

Acknowledge complexity: Recognize that you have limited information. “From the outside looking in…” or “Without knowing your internal priorities…” shows awareness that insiders may understand constraints you don’t.

Connect to your expertise: Link improvement suggestions to capabilities you’d bring. This transforms critique into value proposition: “Based on my experience optimizing similar processes…”

Categories of Safe Improvement Suggestions

Certain improvement areas are generally safe to discuss. These categories offer rich material while minimizing risk of offense.

Market expansion opportunities: Suggesting new markets, customer segments, or geographic expansion implies growth potential rather than current weakness. “I could see potential for expanding into the healthcare vertical given your expertise in data security.”

Customer experience enhancement: Everyone agrees customer experience can always improve. Thoughtful observations about onboarding, support, or user interface show customer-centric thinking. “Your mobile app is strong, but streamlining the checkout process might reduce cart abandonment.”

Brand communication refinement: Marketing and messaging can always be sharpened. Diplomatic suggestions about positioning or communication show marketing awareness. “Your technology capabilities seem stronger than your current messaging conveys—there might be opportunity to better communicate your innovation.”

Emerging technology adoption: Suggesting how new technologies might benefit the company shows forward thinking. “I’ve seen companies benefit significantly from implementing AI-powered customer support—that might align with your customer service focus.”

Sustainability or social responsibility: Environmental and social initiatives represent areas where most companies can improve without existing efforts seeming inadequate. “Given consumer interest in sustainability, there might be opportunity to highlight your environmental practices more prominently.”

Internal process optimization: If your role involves operations or efficiency, suggestions about processes demonstrate relevant expertise. “Based on my experience with similar operations, there might be efficiency gains possible in the supply chain.”

What Not to Say

Certain responses carry high risk and should be avoided regardless of how true they might be.

Don’t criticize leadership directly: “Your CEO seems out of touch” will not endear you to interviewers, who may respect or report to that leadership. Avoid personalizing critique.

Don’t attack the interview process: Even if you found application processes frustrating, criticizing them during the interview appears petty and negative.

Don’t mention anything requiring confidential information: Observations that suggest you have insider knowledge—even if public—can raise concerns about discretion.

Don’t exaggerate problems: Overstating issues makes you seem like you have poor judgment or are trying to position yourself as a savior. Keep observations proportionate.

Don’t bring up controversial issues: Political, religious, or highly controversial topics don’t belong in interview answers, even if they relate to company practices.

Don’t mention compensation or benefits: “You could pay people more” isn’t the analytical insight they’re seeking, even if accurate.

Don’t reference internal conflicts: Even if you’ve heard about internal political struggles through networking, discussing them appears gossipy and inappropriate.

Don’t say “nothing”: Claiming you see no improvement opportunities appears either sycophantic or unthinking. Every organization can improve; find something constructive to suggest.

Sample Answers by Industry

Different industries warrant different approaches. Here are examples adapted for various contexts.

Technology Company Example: “Your product has really strong core functionality, and the engineering talent clearly shines through. One area that caught my attention as an opportunity is onboarding. I signed up for a trial, and while the product itself is powerful, it took me a while to understand how to get started. Given how competitive the market is, reducing time-to-value for new users might improve conversion rates. This is actually an area where I have experience from my current role, where we redesigned onboarding and improved activation by 40%.”

Retail Company Example: “I’ve been a customer for years and genuinely appreciate your commitment to quality products. One observation from shopping both in-store and online—the experiences feel somewhat disconnected. I started an order online, and when I went to the store to pick it up, the staff weren’t sure where it was. I know omnichannel integration is challenging, but it seems like an opportunity to deliver the seamless experience customers increasingly expect. This is something I worked on extensively at my current company.”

Financial Services Example: “Your reputation for security and reliability is clearly well-deserved, and I can see why you’ve maintained client loyalty for so long. From researching your digital offerings, I noticed the mobile app is functional but perhaps hasn’t kept pace with some newer fintech competitors in terms of user experience. Given shifting customer expectations—especially among younger demographics—there might be an opportunity to modernize the digital experience while maintaining the security focus that differentiates you. My background in UX design for financial applications could contribute here.”

Healthcare Company Example: “Your clinical outcomes data is impressive, and patient satisfaction scores are clearly a priority. One area that stood out to me from reviewing patient feedback is the scheduling and administrative experience. Several reviews mentioned frustration with appointment booking and billing questions. I know healthcare administration is complex, but streamlining these touchpoints could enhance the overall patient experience. In my previous role, I implemented a patient communication system that significantly improved satisfaction scores.”

Handling Follow-Up Questions

Interviewers often probe initial answers with follow-up questions. Prepare for these common follow-ups.

“Why do you think that’s a problem?” Be ready to explain your reasoning with evidence. “Based on industry benchmarks for conversion rates…” or “Research shows customers in this demographic expect…”

“How would you address that?” Have solution ideas ready. You don’t need comprehensive plans, but showing you’ve thought beyond problem identification demonstrates action orientation.

“What would implementing that involve?” Show awareness of practical considerations. “It would likely require cross-functional collaboration between product and marketing…” or “The first step might be gathering customer feedback to validate the opportunity…”

“Have you seen companies succeed with this approach?” Examples from your experience or industry knowledge support your suggestion. “At my current company, we addressed a similar challenge by…” or “Companies like [competitor] have shown that…”

“What else would you change?” Having more than one improvement area prepared demonstrates thorough analysis. But don’t pile on criticism—offer one additional area thoughtfully.

Tailoring to Your Target Role

Your improvement suggestions should relate to responsibilities you’d actually have in the role you’re seeking.

For marketing roles: Focus on brand positioning, customer communication, digital presence, or campaign opportunities you could work on.

For operations roles: Identify process efficiencies, supply chain improvements, or operational excellence opportunities within your potential scope.

For sales roles: Suggest sales process improvements, market expansion, or customer success initiatives you could contribute to.

For technical roles: Observe product capabilities, technical architecture implications, or engineering process improvements relevant to your expertise.

For leadership roles: Broader strategic observations are appropriate—organizational alignment, market positioning, or cultural evolution opportunities.

The key is demonstrating you’ve already started thinking about how you’d contribute. Your improvement suggestion becomes a preview of the value you’d bring.

Reading the Room

Pay attention to interviewer reactions and adjust accordingly.

Signs your answer is landing well:

• Nodding or engaged expression
• Follow-up questions seeking more detail
• Sharing insider context about your observation
• Noting that others have raised similar points

Signs you should adjust:

• Defensive body language
• Quick topic changes
• Dismissive responses
• Uncomfortable expressions

If you sense your critique has hit a nerve, gracefully pivot: “Of course, there may be factors I’m not aware of from the outside, and I’m sure the team has considered these opportunities.”

What Your Answer Says About You

Beyond the specific content, your answer communicates broader messages about your candidacy.

Thoughtfulness: Considered observations suggest you’ll bring similar thoughtfulness to your work.

Preparation: Research-backed suggestions demonstrate you take opportunities seriously.

Constructiveness: Diplomatic framing shows you’d be a productive team member, not a chronic complainer.

Expertise: Relevant suggestions establish your knowledge and experience.

Initiative: Proactive thinking suggests you’d identify and address problems without waiting to be told.

Confidence: Willingness to share honest perspectives shows professional maturity.

Humility: Acknowledging limitations demonstrates self-awareness and openness to learning.

Practice Makes Perfect

Like any interview skill, answering this question improves with practice.

Rehearse out loud: Hearing yourself deliver the answer reveals awkward phrasing or unclear thinking. Practice until your response flows naturally.

Get feedback: Have a trusted colleague or mentor listen to your answer and provide honest feedback. Do you sound constructive? Confident? Informed?

Prepare multiple answers: Different interviewers may ask variations of this question. Having multiple observations ready ensures you can respond naturally regardless of specific framing.

Record yourself: Video recording reveals body language and tone that might undermine otherwise strong content.

Alternative Question Formats

This question appears in various forms. Recognize these variations and apply the same principles.

• “What would you change about our company?”
• “If you were CEO, what would you do differently?”
• “What’s one thing we could improve?”
• “What opportunities do you see for us?”
• “What would make our company more successful?”
• “Where do you think we’re missing the mark?”
• “What would make our product better?”
• “What concerns do you have about our company?”

Each variation invites critical thinking about company improvement. Your preparation strategy applies universally.

Conclusion

The “what could we do better” question tests analytical thinking, research depth, communication diplomacy, and genuine interest—all in one deceptively simple question. Answering effectively requires thorough preparation, strategic framing, and relevant expertise connection.

Research the company thoroughly before interviews, identifying genuine opportunities based on evidence rather than uninformed opinion. Frame suggestions as growth opportunities rather than criticisms. Connect improvement ideas to capabilities you’d bring, transforming critique into value proposition.

Avoid common pitfalls: personalizing criticism, attacking leadership, exaggerating problems, or claiming you see nothing to improve. Stay within safe categories like market expansion, customer experience, and emerging technology adoption.

Practice your delivery until it sounds natural and confident. Pay attention to interviewer reactions and adjust accordingly. Remember that how you answer matters as much as what you answer—you’re demonstrating how you’d navigate similar discussions as an employee.

Approached strategically, this challenging question becomes an opportunity to showcase the thoughtful perspective that distinguishes exceptional candidates. Do your homework, frame your answer professionally, and confidently share insights that help interviewers envision you as a valuable addition to their team.