Why Research the Company Before an Interview?

• General questions, such as "What do you know about our company?" or "Why do you want to work for us?" often can make or break an interview. Knowing a bit about the company beforehand can help to answer these general, open-ended questions intelligently.


• Knowing about the company first allows you to judge whether you really want to work for them! Is the company a good match for you? Does it have a sound business record? Is it the kind of work environment, corporate culture that you want to be a part of?


• It might prompt you to ask relevant questions during the interview, allowing you to demonstrate your knowledge of the company and industry. Asking relevant questions impresses potential employers!

• Company's mission and values
• Key people in the organization
• Organizational structure of the company
• Qualities company seeks in employees
• Major products or services
• Major competitors
• Size in terms of sales and employees
• View of the company by clients, suppliers, and competition
• Corporate Culture (i.e. interactions between employees formal or informal; dress code; standards)
• Developments or changes the company is planning
• Latest news reports on the company or reviews

 Step 1: Visit the company's website.

• Look for announcements, news, financial information.
• Check whether the company's annual report is available via the website. If it is, read the Executive Summary to learn the highlights of the previous year.

Step 2: Check Directories of Companies

• Confirm spelling and determine if company is public, private or a subsidiary
• Obtain telephone number so you can call company and have it send you information
• Learn basic corporate information like number of employees, sales, founding date; key officers.


• Resources available at the Statler Library include:


• Corporate Directory of U.S. Public Companies
  Ref HG 4057 .A156468 1997



• D&B Regional Business Directory
  Ref HG 4058 .S4 D86 2003 (volumes 1-3)



• Ward's Business Directory of U.S. Private and Public Companies
  Ref HG 4057 .A575 1996 (volumes 1-4)

Step 3: Gain Background Information

• International Directory of Company Histories
  Rosenberg Ref HD2721 .D36
  This reference source is especially good for large corporations, such as Hilton, McDonald's, Marriott, Olive Garden, Tyson, etc.


• Hoover's Online
  http://www.hoovers.com/free/
  Browse by company name, geography, industry, or ticker symbol.


• Infotrac
  Select the Business and Company Resource Center,a fully integrated resource bringing together company profiles, brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies and periodicals. Conduct a Company Search to retrieve information on a particular company.

Step 4: Search Local News Sources

• San Francisco Business Times
  http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/
  Search by BOTH company name and industry name.


• SF Chronicle and Examiner
  http://www.sfgate.com/search/
  Search by BOTHcompany name and industry name.


• Yahoo Listing of San Francisco/Bay Area Newspapers

Step 5: Research Industry Information

• Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys
  Statler Ref HG 4057 A1 S727
  • Restaurants
  • Lodging and Gaming
  • Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages
    
    
• Trends in the Hotel Industry - Northern California [monthly]
  Statler Ref TX 909 A1 T7464


• Restaurant Economic Trends
  Statler Periodical stacks


• Infotrac
  Select the Business and Company Resource Center. Conduct an Industry Search to retrieve current information on a specific industry.
  

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