Researching Employers
There are two basic reasons to research employers:
- To help you identify employers for which you would like to work.
- To prepare you for interviews. Researching an employer during your job search can help you determine more about an organization and your potential place in it.
What to Look For
- What are the services and products that they sell?
- How successful is the company? What are their sales? Assets? Earnings? What has their growth pattern been like? What is their forecast of anticipated growth?
- What is the size of the company? How many employees do they have? What types of jobs exist with the employer?
- What are the objectives and philosophy of the company?
- What is their location? How many locations are there? How long have they been established there?
- Who are their competitors?
- What are the names of key executives? Is the company publicly or privately owned?
- What is the general reputation of the company?
- What are their major achievements?
Drop-in or call the Career Center for additional assistance about how to research employers, prepare for interviews, or identify your personal needs in a work environment
SJSU Career Center programs and services are provided toEqual Opportunity Employers.
Additional Links:
Hoover's Online contains directories for searching employers by alphabetical list, industry, company type, and region. Remember you can stop by the Career Center to use our subscription for free.
EDGAR Online provides business and financial information from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission data.
Rich's Guide subscription services are available in the Career Center computer lab.
