Quick Tips:
T
Re
esearch Compa
anies
BASIC TIPS:
• Do your homework.
h
If you research the company,
c
the industrry, and the
e
position, an
n employer will know you want the
t
job. It shows enthusiasm,
preparation and “smarts.”
ou decide if
i the comp
pany is the
e right place for you.
• Research will help yo
C
Check
out the compan
ny’s financiial history, culture an
nd work environment.
W
What
are th
he company
y values, and
a
do they
y match yo
ours?
he company website. You will find all the basics:
b
info
ormation on
• Start at th
th
he compan
ny’s produc
cts and serv
vices, miss
sion statem
ment, history, press
re
eleases, locations, job openings
s and much
h more. Re
ead the com
mpany’s
annual repo
ort. Look th
hrough com
mpany pers
sonnel proffiles and, iff possible, find
nformation on the person who you
y
will interview with
h.
in
earch the company
c
th
hrough you
ur universitty or colleg
ge career
• Next, rese
ce
enter. Carreer centerrs offer a multitude
m
of resources
s to researrch compan
nies
and organiz
zations on the
t
web, in
n journals, books, dirrectories an
nd newslettters.
C
Career
centters also brring recruitters from many
m
comp
panies to ca
ampus.
• Career fairrs and job fairs spons
sored by yo
our univers
sity or colle
ege career
ce
enter offerr firsthand knowledge
e of companies. You can
c
speak directly
d
witth
re
ecruiters about their company, its culture and work environme
ent.
• You can also do research through indepen
ndent, outs
side source
es. For
example, se
ee if the co
ompany is listed
l
on www.vault.c
w
com, Inves
stor Relatio
ons
In
nformation
n Network at
a www.irin
n.com, or Hoover’s,
H
I
Inc.,
at
w
www.hoove
ers.com. If the compa
any is smalll, try searc
ching
http://www
w.irin.com or
o local new
wspapers fo
or information.
dustry view
w of the company. Ch
heck out tra
ade journals at a
• Get an ind
university or
o public lib
brary to see
e what other people are
a writing about the
e
co
ompany. This
T
gives you
y
a broad
der sense of
o the indu
ustry as a whole
w
and how
h
th
hat company fits into
o the largerr picture. You
Y
can also find out who are th
he
co
ompany’s top
t
competitors.
neral web search
s
and see what comes up on search engines lik
ke
• Run a gen
Y
Yahoo,
Google and oth
hers. Try searching
s
th
hrough new
wspapers for
f the late
est
business ne
ews about the
t
company.
1| Page • Find an inside contact to gather information on the company and the
position you are interested in. Ask the recruiter, or someone in the human
resources department, if you can speak to an employee who has a position
similar to the one you want. Also use your network to connect with someone
else working in the field.
• College alumni organizations are a great resource. Many career centers at
universities offer alumni directories and networks to put you in touch with
alum in your career field.
• Consider joining a professional association – then you can access its
directory and find inside help.
• If you make contact with an employee, ask about the work environment,
department interaction, culture, and management style. You want to learn
what your day will be like if you work there.
• Check out company blogs. Find employee or ex-employee blogs. Take what
ex-employees say with “a grain of salt” since they may have been let go from
the company.
• Try online career networking to get in touch with employees inside the
company. Consider posting questions to online job boards and see what
other people think of the company.
• If you are researching a company in a new region, look into area guides.
Sperling’s Best Places (http://www.bestplaces.net) has comprehensive data
on cities across the country.
2| Page