This cute little anecdote demonstrates the need for a job candidate to do extensive research before the interview. (By the way, IBM stands for International Business Machines.)

Almost any organization where you might interview has a web site. That should be your first stop. Read everything you can get your eyes on. Learn about their product line, the marketing campaigns, their corporate mission statement, etc. Even if you are interviewing at an organization that shuns producing web sites, such as the Amish or the Mafia, there is a lot of information about them on the web. With a little digging you can find it.

Let's say you are interviewing at a start-up company that has no track record whatsoever. They don't even have a garage to move out of yet. If you can find out the names of the firm's principal players, you can use search engines to find out anything ever written about that person on the net. If you still need more information, try a news archive at your local library or online. 

Suppose you apply at an Internet start-up that just has a URL and nothing more. Go to the URL and find out the name of the person or company who registered the domain. With this information you can use the search techniques above to find out everything you need. 

Even if there is absolutely nothing on the company, the individuals or the industry on the Internet, you can call the company and ask that they send you whatever press information they have prior to your interview.

Bottom line: THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR NOT DOING THE RESEARCH YOU NEED TO LAND THAT JOB!!!!

Have a notebook with you while you are researching and jot down any questions you might have so you can ask them during the interview.

After you have fully checked out your target company, examine their competitors' sites. Compare and contrast the different products and corporate philosophies.