Morris County Library:Career seminars

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. We recommend doing preliminary company research before you send your resume. That way you can tweak your resume and customize your cover letter to show the company you're the best candidate for the job.

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:

Sales reps need to know all about the company's products and services
Human resource managers need to learn about corporate structure
Marketing people look for ad campaigns, positioning strategy and consumer attitudes
Finance specialists need numbers
Recent graduates look for training programs and career ladders

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.

Telephone/Fax number...Google it

Fax number...try faxing a blank sheet of paper to the number...watch for the "handshake" indicating recipient

Street address...411.com & Reference USA database list occupants by address
U.S. Postal Service PO Box...if it's registered to a company, that's public information. If registered to a private individual, it's not. Contact the postmaster.
Private PO Box...newspaper, Mail Boxes Etc...don't waste your time (private info)

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.

Company's Web site...read the "about us" section

Dun's Million Dollar Database...16 million U.S. companies, in-house use only

Reference USA...databases (available from home)
Company Insight Center, Businessweek
Hoover's company profiles, basic profile free online
Guidestar...Nonprofit profiles & reports. Free, requires registration.
Ward's Business Directory...profiles include legal status and year founded
New Jersey Manufacturers Directory...good for medium & large NJ companies
Corfacts New Jersey Business to Business...database, contains service & manufacturing companies

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
ReferenceUSA database traces corporate linkage (up & down)

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
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

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
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

EBSCO Newspapers (searchable from home)...major national & selected regional papers
Business Source (searchable from home)...general business and trades, 1984+
Daily Record (Morristown) online January 2004+ (ask MCL reference librarians about access
MasterFILE Premier (searchable from home)...consumer magazines & trade journals, 1984+
Proquest Newspapers (searchable from home)...nine major U.S. papers, 1985+
Newswires (free):Bloomberg news, Businesswire, PR Newswire & CNN Financial Network

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 & Twitter

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 six 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)285-6931.

Questions?

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