X220: Career Perspectives
Business/SPEA Information Commons
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Check out the Business/SPEA Information Common's HIRE ED service! Schedule a 10-minute, one-on-one session with a librarian and receive a customized packet of company and industry information based on your interview needs. Sign up here.
Perfect Fit!
Being successful, means not only picking the right career, but picking a company that has an organizational culture with the right personal fit.
How do you learn more about a company's organizational culture? Research. Find out about benefits, advancement and leadership opportunities, and community involvement. Consider several information sources (don't stop at the company website) to get a complete picture of the organization.
5 Ways to Research a Company's Organizational Culture:
#1: Evaluate the company's website as a whole. How is it organized? How often is it updated? What programs or products are being promoted? Answers to these questions will give you clues as to where importance is placed in the company. In addition, look at company press releases and blog posts about culture and activities to obtain first-hand accounts of what it is like to work there. Finally, if a public company, look at the annual report found in the "Investor Relations" section.
#2: Use "insider" resources, like Career Insider, Wetfeet, and Glassdoor, to get company-specific advancement, community involvement, diversity, and leadership information. Career Insider is a library database that can only be accessed from the Libraries' website or this class page (NOTE: You will need to create an account the first time you use this resource). While there, also take a look at the "Day in the Life" entries (under "Career Advice") for job profiles.
See how to search Career Insider
#3: Identify a company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats by examining a SWOT analysis in the library database MarketLine Business Information Center.
See how to search MarketLine
#4: Look at trade and business journal articles in the library database Factiva to get an in-depth look at particular aspects of a business. Additional suggestions for article databases with company information can be found in the Business/SPEA Information Commons Company Research Guide.
See how to search Factiva
#5: Review the company ranking lists below to see if the business is ranked as a best place to work. More ranking list suggestions are available from the Libraries' Career Reference website. Be sure to check out CNN Money's Perkfinder.
Best Companies ListsCompiled by the Great Place to Work Institute, which creates the Fortune "100 Best Companies to Work For" list, this site links to "Best Companies" lists for the North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia, as well as individual countries.
CollegeGrad.com Top Entry Level Employers
Annual ranking based on number of entry-level hires.
Fortune Magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work ForFortune's annual list of employers who know how to treat workers right. Provides entry-level salary information for both professional and production/service workers. Gives specific job titles, links to companies, and a customizable ranking form.
Get Hired!
Next week you'll interview for an internship with Procter & Gamble's Consumer & Market Knowledge division. There will be hundreds of other candidates competing for the same position with similar GPAs and leadership experiences. How will you prepare? Research gives you a competitive advantage over other candidates by providing the foundational knowledge needed to answer interview questions competently and confidently.
Start by looking at the mission, purpose, or value statements, employee biographies, and annual report on the company website.
BEFORE YOU STOP THERE...
The company website can provide a wealth of information, but it should just be a starting place for your research. Why? A company's website is not subjective--it's purpose is to promote goods/services or attract employees or investors. Use the following resources to double check what you've found on the company website and look at different viewpoints.
Company Profile/Reports: Use the library database, Hoover's Online, to access a company report and get an in-depth, objective look at the business. While there locate an employee list to identify key individuals.
See how to search Hoover's Online
Company News: Look at company news articles in the library database, Factiva, to get an understanding of current events and happenings within the company.
See how to search Factiva
Industry News: If researching a small or private company, there may not be enough company news available. Look to the library databases, Hoover's Online and Standard & Poor's Netadvantage, for industry news that can be generally applied to your company.
See how to search Standard & Poor's Netadvantage
Insider Information: Use the library database, Career Insider, to gain company-specific tips and tricks for interviewing.
See how to search Career Insider
