Morris County Library > Reference > Career seminar/Company

Company research for job seekers


Most job counselors recommend that you take the time to find information about your prospective employer before your first interview. Why? Knowing something about the company enables you to anticipate questions and prepare your answers ahead of time. Often it pays to do some preliminary company research before you send your resume. If the XYZ company is looking for a salesperson, find out what they sell! No sense wasting your time and money on a job that doesn't fit.

Most job seekers have several questions regarding company research:
How much information do I need?
How to sleuth a job ad
What kind of information is available?
Can I create a list of potential employers by specific criteria?
What if I can't get to the library?

How much information do I need?
EVERY job seeker needs a basic company profile. This tells you where the company is, what it does and how big it is. Beyond this, the amount and type of information you need depends upon the position you seek:

Tip: Don't wait until the last minute. Start you research as soon as your interview is scheduled. It's hard to predict how much work it will take to find the information you need until you begin looking for it. Please! Ask your librarian for help. She can save you time.

How to sleuth a job ad
Job ads which include the company name and Web site make life easy. ALWAYS go to the company's Web to get more information about the position before you apply. No company name listed? Use the contact clue in the ad to determine the name.

Tip: Be wary about sending your resume to companies you can't identify. There are some very valid reasons why companies choose not to reveal their identity. There are also scam opps culling information for identity theft.

What kind of information is available?
The amount of information available on any company depends upon its legal status (public/private), size and newsworthiness. As a general rule, large public companies are the easiest to research. Small, local private firms are the hardest. Your librarian can help you determine which reference tools will contain the information you need. All of the resources listed below are available at the Morris County Library:

Company profile...required for all job seekers.
A basic company profile consists of location, type of business, sales, employees & year established. This information is available for most companies, regardless of legal status (public/private) or size of operation. Company profiles are usually found in standard business directories.
History & structure...the big picture.
Founding fathers (& mothers!), corporate "family tree," mergers, acquisitions & divestitures.
  • International Directory of Company Histories...3-4 page summaries with references
  • Mergent Manuals...outlines mergers, acquisitions & divestitures
  • Directory of Corporate Affiliations...who owns whom, worldwide...public & private

Products & services...what exactly does this company do?
Product descriptions, services rendered & customer commitment.
  • The Company's home page...BEST place for product catalogs & service descriptions
  • Industry directories...summary description of business & products
  • Annual reports...what product is the company most proud of? Usually linked from company Web
  • Buyers guides...by company and product
  • trade journals...what's new? success & failure
  • U.S. Patents and trademarks

Competitive intelligence...which companies are in the same business?
Industry overview, investment reports, rankings & ratios.
  • Reference USA (database)...similar companies (SIC/NAICS, location, size)
  • Ward's Business Directory...companies ranked by sales within SIC; national & state
  • Industry-specific directories...which products are offered by the competition?
  • S & P Industry Surveys...current status, trends, competition, forecasts & statistics
  • S & P Net Advantage (database)...company's "peer group"
  • D & B First Research (database)...industry profiles (excellent for "niched" industries)

Financial situation...assessing current stability and projecting growth.
Consolidated income & balance sheets, S.E.C. reports & company ratings.
  • Mergent Manuals...summary financial data & company rating
  • 10Ks, registrations...reports filed with the S.E.C. are available on the Internet
  • S & P Net Advantage...10 year financial chart, selected ratios and rating (database)
  • Valueline Investment Survey...financial data for investors & stability rating

News...use what you find to ask questions or prepare solutions.
Articles found in newspapers, magazines and trade journals report management changes, new products, international ventures, market strategies, lawsuits, strikes and more. Some articles are available full-text from the computer, others are offered in abstract or citation form. www.mclib.info/remote.html
Biographical data...who's interviewing you?
Top management's education, age, work history, professional affiliations, community activities. Personal profiles found in newspapers and magazines are gold.
  • Who's Who's (database)...college, professional & social affiliations, family, awards
  • business databases...run names through to find profiles, quotes and commendations
  • Google the person. Be sure to add company name and/or industry to the search.
  • ZoomInfo & LinkedIn

Can I create a target list of potential employers?

Yes! Use the Dun's Million Dollar and Reference USA databases to create company lists by size (sales, employees), location (county, area code, MSA), and line of business (SIC, yellow page heading). You can further refine your search to headquarters locations.

What if I can't get to the library?
Call or e-mail us! We can provide you with the basic company profile information over the phone or computer. We can also conduct a preliminary info search on your target company to provide you with an idea about the amount of information available on it. You can get started on the magazine and newspaper research from home: http://www.mclib.info/remote.html

Tip: Compiling a complete company dossier takes time. Start early!


Morris County Library
30 E. Hanover Ave., Whippany, NJ 07981
Need directions?
973-285-6969 mocolib1@gti.net

Mon.-Thurs., 9am-9pm, Fri. & Sat., 9am-5pm, Sundays, 1pm-5pm (September-April)

About this site
This is one of four Career Resource Seminars developed for job seekers in New Jersey. If you have questions regarding the content of this class or would like assistance finding your local resources, contact Lynne Olver (973)285-6969.

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Career Central...jobs, career services, salaries, e-resumes

http://www.mclib.info/ref/companyjob.html
© Morris County Library 1998
2 June 2009