Where to Conduct Company Research before Interviews

If you're a college student or recent alumni, check with the career center at your school. Many maintain libraries of company research resources.

Public libraries stock company research resources too, such as the Thomas Register. If you don't know where to look, just ask a librarian for help.

The Web is also an excellent place to conduct company research. Many companies know that you might be visiting their Web sites for exactly that reason. For example, Intel and Microsoft are very accommodating, as are many others. Study information about the company and the description of the job for which you are interviewing. Even if companies don't provide information specifically for job seekers, most provide information for customers or the media that is also useful for conducting company research before interviews.

One of the best places to conduct company research, is straight from the source. It doesn't hurt to contact the human resources (HR) department of the company for which you have an upcoming interview. Ask about company literature, such as product brochures, job descriptions and new-hire orientation packets. They may be impressed you took the time to find out.

If you really want to get down to the nitty-gritty, scope out the company's annual report from an investor's point of view. After all, if you wouldn't risk your money in a company, would you want to risk your career?

Company Research
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