Industry and company research is the
foundation of any successful job search. Industry research will
help you find out about:
- Current demands of the field
- Direction the industry is
taking
- Specialty or niche areas in your
field
- Skills and qualities that are in demand
in your field
Take the initiative and ask the company to send any available
literature, such as brochures or sales literature. You should also
search the business sections of newspapers and trade papers for any
current articles about the companies you are interested in
pursuing. Company and industry research can be conducted through
the University
Career Service's Resource Library, the University Library, the
Internet, and Networking.
Where to do your research
The more sources you use, the more you
find out about an organization, the better prepared you will be for
a successful interview.
University Career Services
Library
University Library - Directories,
local community newspapers; brochures
Internet
Internet web
pages; newsgroups; job postings
Networking
Networking
through:
- Professional/Trade
Associations
- Professors
- People working in the field (friends,
family, etc.)
Locate the following information about
each organization
- Business name, address, telephone number
and web site address
- Current CEO; public or private;
financial position
- Description: type of business, mission,
history, current status
- List of subsidiaries, operation
divisions and location of facilities
- Accomplishments and the company's rating
in the industry
- Number of employees - trends
- Sales and profits - trends
- Key products or brands
- Major competition and community
involvement
- List of clients
- Types of candidates they seek in terms
of skills, education and experience
Locate The Following Information About
Each Educational Institution
- Graphs and descriptions of various
programs they offer
- New initiatives being
undertaken
- Their philosophy of
education
- The population; the number of
students
- The stability of the local
community
- Concerns of the community and parents
regarding the district
- The number of students who go on for
higher education
- The pupil/teacher ratio