Recruiters expect you to do company research and will ask questions to gauge how well you’ve prepared. How much you find out about a company is an indication of your interest in working for that company as well as your research skills. Plus, what you uncover about a company will help you to evaluate if you want to work for that employer. If you have questions about how to use any of the resources listed here, a Reference Librarian will be glad to assist.
What to Research Before Your Interview:
- Has the organization or company been in the news lately?
- How does the company compare to its competitors?
- Is the company positioned for growth (e.g., potential new markets, products or services)?
Look in:
Lexis-Nexis Business News - Full text of business magazine and newsletter articles.
Business Source Premier - Indexes nearly 3800 journals on management, economics,
finance, accounting, international business, and more. Lots of full text.
On the green bar at the top of the search screen, you can click on the
Company Profiles button to get both brief and long profiles. This is a good place
to find names of top competitors, too.
- What is the industry outlook?
Look in:
Lexis-Nexis Industry News
Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys. Ref. HG4915.S651 Updated every six months,
this service discusses current environment, trends, and how the industry operates.
Also includes statistics and a section on Comparative Company Analysis within
the industry.
- What is the financial health of the organization or company?
Look in:
Lexis-Nexis Company Financial Information
Includes Hoover's Online, with company profiles, their competitors, & financials
for of nearly 50,000 public and private companies,
Mergent's Handbook of Common Stocks - Ref. HG4501 .M59
Value Line Ratings and Reports - Ref. HG45-1 .V26
This service gives brief industry profiles and then analyses of major companies
within that industry.
- What’s the average starting salary for the position for which you’re interviewing?
Look in:
Jobstar.org/tools/salary/index.htm -
Salary.com - http://salary.com/ -
Homefair - http://www.homefair.com/
American Salaries & Wages Survey (in Clark County Public Library)
American Almanac of Jobs & Salaries (also in Clark County Public Library)
Resources for Tapping Into the Hidden Job Market
The visible job market represents jobs that are advertised. The hidden job market represents
unadvertised openings, which are generally the majority of job openings at any given time.
Research is the key to penetrating the hidden market.
- Where is a list of key contacts at companies?
In Thomas Library:
Standard & Poor's Register - Corporations Ref. HG4057.A4 2003
or online at Lexis-Nexis/Business/Company Financial Information.
Lists publicly owned companies, their major product, key personnel, and contact information.
Company Profiles for Students - Ref. HG4057.A27
American Business Source - Ref. HF5035 .A44 2001
Contains the Business to Business Yellow Pages, which is an alphabetical listing,
by product, of companies across the country.
Ohio Industrial Directory - Ref. HD9727.O3 O37 1997
Lists companies geographically as well as by product.
In the Career Center:
Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce 2003 Membership Directory
2001 Financial Yellow Book (a who's who at leading U.S. financial institutions)
2001 Ohio Industrial Directory
Other Resources for Job Hunters
In Thomas Library:
- Occupational Outlook Handbook - Ref. HF5381 .U62 2006-07
- Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance - Ref. HF5381 .E52
- CareerJournal.com - From the Wall Street Journal, this site gives tips on "preparing for an interview, writing a resume, and even learning how to prepare for business school. One of the finishing touches on the site is a section dedicated to podcasts which deal with topics such as dealing with a recruiter and the importance of self-confidence." (Scout Report)
- Jobs Rated Almanac - Ref. HF5382.5 .U5 K72 2002
- Summer Jobs Abroad - Ref. HF5382.D4 2006
- Summer Jobs for Students - Ref. HF5382.5.U5 S76 2004-05
- Cover Letters - Ref. HF5383.B434 1999
- Resumes - Ref. HF5383 .B435 1999
- Global Resume and CV Guide - Main Stacks HF5383 .T53 2000
- The Directory of Websites for International Jobs - Ref. HF5549.5 .E45 K734
- America's Top-Rated Cities: A Statistical Handbook - Ref. HT123 .A669
Return to the Career Center Web Page
Created by Regina Entorf, Wittenberg University Library
Last updated 11-22-06/RPE