How to Quickly Research a Company

When evaluating a job lead, your due diligence in researching your potential new employer is important. Set aside a little bit of time before your interview to research the company you are considering.

Look for information on company structure, work place culture, corporate finances and maybe even a few of your potential new coworkers. Developing a deeper understanding of the environment will prepare you to discuss details and enjoy a more thorough interview. Proper research will give you a better sense of whether or not you will enjoy the new job. You will also be in a better position to negotiate salary if the interview proves successful.

An interview is just as much for your sake as it is for theirs. You can be sure that the employer will be researching you, take the time to properly gather information on their organization. Use this simple guide to help you in researching companies.
How to Research Companies

General Company Research

The best place to start is almost always the company's website. Here they will list basic information about their services, department and staff listings. They might even include staff bios, usually on the executive level. Most companies will also post their press releases and link to articles referencing them. Check out their mission statement if they have one posted. Often, it will give you a peak at the company's culture. Is it ambitious? Exciting? Traditional? Or generic and bland?

Next, try some Google searches on the company. Google will give you an easy way to search news articles (news.google.com), blog posts (blogsearch.google.com) and general web postings (www.google.com). Who is linking to or writing about the company? Is there anything interesting or odd? Take a look around and see if you can find any employees writing on a personal blog. Blogs can offer real life insight into the day to day operations of the company. They will also give you more names to research on your quest.

The larger the company, the more likely you will be able to get a sense of their financial position. If they are publicly traded, look up their stock information and check out a few charts. Most financial sites will also offer easy summaries and a general financial analysis. Is the company booming or do they need new blood and an innovative boost? Are they expanding or declining in market share? If they are a smaller company, are they funded? This information may prove to be important when it comes time to negotiate your salary. If not, it is still information that you should know in evaluating the longevity of your potential new job.

Forbes, Business Week, Fortune and others often rank business by various criteria in their issues. If you are researching a larger organization, keep an eye out for these lists. Top grossing, fastest growing, best (and worst) places to work -- these are a few of the potential lists you might find. If the company is a smaller, more regional business, check with their local Chamber of Commerce or in regional magazines. Most of these rankings are available in limited form on their websites. If you are super ambitious, check with your local library for copies or if your timing is right, the local bookstore.

For students, we highly recommend you take advantage of your school's resources. Visit the career center, general library or business school library and see if they have business indexes you can search. Lexis Nexis, for instance, is an amazing tool to research into older news archives. Their Company Dossier provides instant access into a companies business and financial profile.

Advanced Research

LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) and other social networking sites allow you to search for the names of the company's management and employees. If you know the name of the person you will be interviewing with you should absolutely do some research on them. This is a critical step for networking and can help you select references that might be connected to the company, or at least references that might be more influential or impressive to the company.

Another great resource for corporate research is ZoomInfo (www.zoominfo.com). ZoomInfo scans the web for information and mentions of individuals and companies. The information found is compiled into an easily digestible report.

Hoovers (www.hoovers.com) is also a great bet for scoring some excellent information. They offer a few wonderful free services that allow you to search companies, media and executives. If you are a student, chances are your school library will have access to their full blown site. Hoovers provides some of the best business intelligence around.

Final Thoughts

When researching a company online, it's important to remember that much of the information may be posted with some sort of bias. A perfectly content employee very rarely posts public praise for their organization, while a former employee might be inclined to be a bit more bitter towards the organization. Ultimately, you are looking for trends and trying to grasp the general reputation of the company.

Search for names, find key business objectives and get a sense of the companies top services and products. This information will help you understand the company's priorities. Find information on the people you will be interacting with on your interview. Gaining insight into their lives and careers will help you put your best foot forward.

Have any tips or suggestions? An experience you would like to share?

Join the discussion in our comments below!

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