Related Resources

Why conduct research on employers?

1. Employers expect any serious candidate to be knowledgeable about their company. Not being informed drastically reduces your chances of being considered a serious candidate.
2. While often overlooked by many college-age job seekers, researching a company is vital to the job search process and can quickly separate the serious job seeker from the rest of the job candidate pool.
3. Researching companies helps the candidate understand what he/she wants and needs in a work environment. The process of discovering the many different possibilities available to the candidate helps the candidate customize a "good fit" between the company and the candidate's preferences, skills, and needs.
4. Researching companies helps the job seeker customize cover letters and résumés toward the company's needs; ensuring the placement of the résumé and cover letter in the "yes" pile instead of the garbage.
5. Being knowledgeable about a company will inform answers to questions in an interview in addition to assisting with the ultimate goal of the interview: convincing the interviewer why you are the perfect candidate for the job and the company!
6. Think of it this way: any contact between you and the employer should be preceded by thorough research into the company. The more you do it (assuming that you are considering more than one company) the faster and more adept you will become with this skill.

Resources to help you with your search

• Information interviews
• Employees of the organization
• Friends, family, faculty
• Alumni

Questions to Ask

Is the industry in a growth mode? Does the company have a strong position within the industry? What are the company's strengths? What is the company culture? How is the employee morale? See Employer Research Chart for more research questions to ask.

Professional organizations - can yield information on the current trends in the industry. The National Trade and Professional Associations book in the Career Center can help you locate websites, contact information, and purpose of more than 2500 professional associations located within the United States.

Company websites - are an excellent place to start your search. Sites differ in content and quality of presentation - many have job listings, while all will have valuable information about the organization. Employers will expect you to demonstrate your familiarity with this information in any correspodence you have with them.

Internet - Websites abound with information to assist your search for financial information, competitors of a given organization, company profiles, the conditions of living in a particular area, etc.

Employer Research Chart

Organization name:

Location:

Size:

Product/service:

Publicly/privately owned?

Organizational information:

Organization history:

Industry outlook:

Main competitors:

Financial Data:

Organization goals/growth:

Potential expansion/ventures:

Employee morale:

Evaluation process:

What's been in the news about the organization?

Cost of living:

Notes about the area:

Tips to consider before starting your search

1. No single location will have everything you need. Use a variety of resources.
2. Always check the date of publication of the materials you use.
3. Set priorities before you begin. Rank the factors about a company that are the most important to you.
4. Determine how much time you want to devote to your research. Don't leave it all for an hour before your interview!
5. Create a system to organize your material. As material begins to pile up, you will appreciate having an easy way to locate and prevent loss of important information - especially when you most need it!
6. Construct a timeline for your research with written deadlines. For example: Decide when and how long each week you will spend researching. Create goals for completion and keep a log of your research
.
7. Large corporations are easier to find information on than small, privately owned organizations.
8. It is easier to locate information on corporations than their subsidiaries.

Web Links and Resources