Researching a Company

1
Researching a Company

• Myrna Rudder
• Allen Rioux

2
Interview Preparation

• So, your great resumé and effective cover letter
  have earned you an interview
• What next?
• As one part of your interview preparation, we
  suggest that you spend some time researching the
  interviewing company.

3
Why Research a Company?

• First of all, you research a company as a way of
  demonstrating to the interviewer that you cared
  enough to learn something about them before
  coming in for the interview.
• This involves research at its most basic level
  their history, primary business, products,
  location(s), number of employees, etc.
• The Internet can help with this basic research
  in the case of many (or even most) companies, but
  not all.

4
Why Research a Company?

• As importantly, you are also researching a
  company in order to protect yourself from making
  a mistake
• e.g., taking a job that you wish that you could
  quit (because of something important about them
  that you didn't know or bother to find out before
  you started the job).
• the purpose of this sort of research is to find
  out important information ahead of time (to the
  extent possible) before you take the job!

More important for full-time employment.
5
Why Research a Company?

• On a practical level, the interviewer might ask
  questions similar to the following
• What do you know about our company?
• Why do you want to work with us?
• What skills do you have that make you a good fit
  for our company?

You dont want just any job, you want this job.
6
Interview Part of the Process

• Researching a company continues as you take part
  in the interview itself.
• Ask additional questions about anything that you
  couldnt learn before the interview.

This shows your interest in the company, and a
mature approach to job hunting.
7
What Do You Want to Know?

• What are the mission, goals and vision of the
  company?
• What is the corporate culture like?
• What is the specific job you would do?
• Will the skills you care the most about in
  yourself get used?

The last items calls for you to know yourself!
Make a skills inventory.
8
Know the Employer

• size of firm or industry
• annual sales growth in last 5 years
• current events stock prices
• age of top management
• geographic locations/ home office

• who the competition is
• organizational goals
• organizational structure/career paths
• number of plants/stores, etc.
• products or services

9
Know Yourself

• Identify your transferable job skills
• Become aware of your strengths
• Be aware of your weaknesses
• Determine what youre looking for in a job
• Know how you fit with the position or
  organization
• Conduct information interviews

10
Can the Internet Help?

• Often, all you can find out about the companies
  online is limited
• names, addresses, phone and fax numbers, bottom
  line, credit rating, and such
• Some companies provide much more detailed
  information
• But dont count on it

11
Web-Based Resources

• The Industry as a whole
• Stock Points (www.stockpoint.com)
• The company
• Yahoo financial (www.yahoo.com)
• Wall Street Journal Research Net (www.wsrn.com)
• Companies online (www.companiesonline.com)
• Hoovers (www.hoovers.com)
• Biz Web (www.bizweb.com)
• The specific position
• Consult the Co-op office

12
Where Else Can I Get Help?

• If you're going to go deeper and find out the
  information you really want to know, you're going
  to need to supplement online research with some
  offline research.
• You will need to talk to people, e.g., other
  students, to thoroughly research the companies
  that interest you.

13
Resources On and OffLine

• Career Services Library Public Libraries
• Chamber of Commerce
• Directories
• Book of Lists
• City, State Directories
• Periodicals, Newspapers
• Additional Web sites
• www.monstertrak.com
• www.naceweb.org
• www.idealist.org
• www.rileyguide.com
• www.comfind.com
• www.go.com
• www.vault.com

14
Six Comforting Thoughts

• In a hiring interview, you are still doing
  research.
• Hiring interviews are not a science, they are an
  opportunity for communication.
• Often, the employers representative is as
  nervous as you are.

15
Six Comforting Thoughts

• You dont have to memorize a lot of answers to
  difficult interview questions. Be yourself and
  answer honestly.
• The employer cares more about your future than
  about your past.
• No matter what handicap you have, it need not
  keep you from getting hired.

16
Questions to Ask Yourself

• What does this job involve?
• Do my skills truly match this job?
• Are these the kind of people I would like to work
  with, or not?
• If we like each other, and both want to work
  together, can I persuade them that there is
  something unique about me, that makes me
  different from 19 other people who can do the
  same tasks.

17
In Simple Terms

• Know yourself
• Know the employer
• Questions?