Research Guides: Human Resource Management: Career Research Resources

Research? Why? How?

5 Things to Research Before Your Job Interview
"Doing research on the organization you are about to interview with will allow you to assess whether the organization is right for you, ask better questions during the interview, and help you craft better answers."
14 Ways To Research Company Culture
"Consider what the ideal work environment would be for you, and filter the responses through that."
Don't Conduct A Job Search, Conduct A Company Search
"The best companies are hiring for attitude. That’s what makes them the best companies. They don’t want someone doing a generic job search. You can have all the skills in the world, but if you don’t pass the attitude test and make it over that cultural hurdle, you won’t get in."
The Ultimate Guide to Researching a Company Pre-Interview
"Even if the first time you’ve ever heard of the company you’re interviewing with was the day you sent in your application, you can still walk in like you’ve known about the place for years."

Things to Look for

Preparing for a job fair, company visit, or interview? Here are some things you may want to know before you go:

Mission, vision, and values
Brand objectives
History
Future direction (where are they going?)
Products and services
Who their customers are
Direct competitors, their products, and what differentiates them
Company size, number of employees, and locations
Recent news and current events
Recent accomplishments
Reputation/industry standing
Names of key players
Managers' backgrounds
Short- and long-term goals
How the company has resolved problems
Recent layoffs
Training programs offered
Benefits and employee-perceived "quality of life"
Career and growth potential (do they hire from within or outside?)
Office, division, and headquarters locations
Financial status

Source: Professor Robert Bergman

Using Library Resources for Career & Employer Research

Creating a Company List
Instructions for using the Library's LexisNexis Academic and Business Source Complete databases to search for companies by location, as well as other attributes, and create a target list of companies.

Finding Company and Industry Profiles
Learn how to locate industry and company profiles in the Library's business databases. That way, you'll be prepared when you're preparing your resume and cover letter and (hopefully!) answering questions at an interview.

Wall Street Journal Access

Learn how to locate industry and company profiles in the Library's business databases. That way, you'll be prepared when you're preparing your resume and cover letter and (hopefully!) answering questions at an interview.