When applying for a job, it is important to know something about the company to which you are applying. There are two main reasons for this.
- You want to have an idea of whether or not you’d like to work there, and
- You will be better able to write a targeted and knowledgeable cover letter.
A third benefit of doing this company research is that you might find out about other companies in the same industry, which might in turn give you other ideas for job leads.
To research Companies
- D&B Million Dollar Directory: Basic business information on mainly private companies.
- Directory of Corporate Affiliations: Provides information and company profiles of the most prominent global public and private parent companies and their affiliates, subsidiaries and divisions.
- Standard and Poor’s Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives: Lists US and Canadian corporations, public and private.
- Ward’s Business Directory of US Private and Public Companies: Basic business information on private and public companies.
- Hoover’s Handbook of Private Companies: Contains profiles on the largest and most influential private companies.
- How to Find Information About Private Companies: Handbook on finding information about private companies including advice on constructing a search.
- Ward’s Business Directory: Includes sales figures for private companies. Includes some public companies as well.
To research industries
- Standard & Poor’s Industry Surveys: Includes outlook, market and current trends with comparative financial data for industries and companies.
- Standard Industrial Classification Manual (SIC): Classified by industry, this code is used to facilitate analysis of data covering the entire field of economic activities. A searchable version is available at www.osha.gov/oshstats/sicser.html
- North American Industry Classification System: United States (NAICS): Provides common industry definitions. A web version is available at www.census.gov/ftp/pub/epcd/www/naics.html
- Encyclopedia of Emerging Industries: Provides snapshots of specific businesses and industries where significant growth or the potential for significant growth has been exhibited.
The following websites contain great information about hundreds of companies.
Employers often come to campus to hold Information Sessions. The purpose of these sessions is to give students a chance to learn about the company and ask general questions. Usually (not always) the Info Session will be connected to an on-campus recruiting visit, but that doesn’t mean you can’t attend if you don’t have an interview set up; on the contrary, we think these sessions are a great chance for students to “browse” and learn about different companies as early as Freshman year – no obligation! If the session is primarily being held in conjunction with a recruiting visit, however, and you are not in the current applicant pool, be careful not to steer the agenda away from the recruiter’s main focus.
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