What's One Secret to Standing Out in an Interview? Answer: Download the 10-K and Use AI

We all know the standard interview advice: dress the part, practice your answers, and arrive early. But what happens at the end of the interview when the hiring manager asks, "Do you have any questions for me?"

This is your moment to shine,  Asking generic questions like, "What is the company culture like?" won't help you stand out. To truly impress a recruiter or hiring manager, you need to show that you understand their business, goals, and challenges.

How do you get that insider knowledge?

By leveraging two powerful tools: a company’s 10-K report and Artificial Intelligence can help you stand out. Below is my recommended approach.

What is a 10-K?

If you are interviewing at a publicly traded company, a 10-K is your secret weapon.

A 10-K is a comprehensive annual report that public companies are required to file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Unlike the glossy, marketing-heavy annual reports designed for shareholders, the 10-K is a deep dive into the company’s actual financial performance, operational structure, executive outlook, and potential risk factors.

It tells you exactly where the company makes its money, what threats keep its executives up at night, and where they are investing for the future.

What's the strategy for smart and insightful interview questions?

Combine the power of the information in the 10-K and AI to draft smart questions to your hiring manager.

Reading a 10-K from cover to cover can be exhausting—they are often hundreds of pages long and filled with dense financial jargon. That is where AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini come in.

Instead of reading the whole document, you can feed the 10-K into an AI platform and ask it to extract the exact insights you need to formulate brilliant, executive-level interview questions.

Step 1: Download the 10-K

Navigate to the company’s "Investor Relations" web page or type into your search engine the “Company Name and 10-K”.

Step 2: Upload it to your AI of choice

Open your preferred AI assistant (like ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude) and upload the PDF document directly into the chat.

Step 3: Copy and Paste the "Ultimate Interview Prompt"

Copy the prompt below and paste it into the AI along with the 10-K document. You will want to customize the [Insert Department] bracket to match the role you are interviewing for (e.g., Marketing, IT, Engineering, Sales).

The Prompt: 

"I am interviewing for a job at this company and need to come prepared with thoughtful, executive-level questions. Please reference the attached 10-K document and extract the following information. Then, based on that information, provide me with six to eight insightful questions that I can ask a recruiter or a hiring manager.

1. What is their total revenue?

2. What is their profit/EBITDA?

3. What is the growth of the company over the last 3 years?

4. What is the projected revenue and profit growth for the next 12 months?

5. What are the company's core business objectives over the next 12 months?

6. What are the company's core business objectives over the next 24 months?

7. What are the company's challenges? 

8. What risk factors could prevent the company from reaching their objectives?

9. What are the company's key priorities and top projects specifically for the [Insert Department] department over the next 12 months?

10. Who are the company's key competitors, and what are the market threats?

11. What are the company's overarching strengths and weaknesses? 

12.  How is the company leadership addressing weaknesses?

Why This Works

When the AI generates your results, you will be armed with real, data-backed insights and questions.

Instead of asking a generic question, you will be able to say something like: "I noticed in the recent 10-K that the company's primary objective over the next 12 months is expanding into the European market, but supply chain bottlenecks were listed as a major risk. How is the [Insert Department] team shifting its strategy to mitigate that risk while still pushing for European growth?"

Questions like this prove you are proactive, prepared, and ready to tackle the company's actual business problems. You instantly elevate yourself from a standard applicant to a strategic partner and you’ve show that you've done your research. 

The job market is challenging, but it also creates a massive opportunity for those who properly highlight their skills and show up prepared.  By focusing on excellence, preparation, and authenticity, you set yourself apart from the competition.

Book a free 15-minute introductory meeting with Dan Fagan from The Professional Story to see how we can build your roadmap for interviewing success and secure your next job offer.