Company Research for Interviews and Job Fairs: Researching Company Information

Researching a company can help you prepare for job, internship, and informational interviews, as well as job fairs and job shadows. Doing a little research about a company before an interview or job fair can help you stand out from the crowd of other applicants, and give you insights into the organizational culture and industry operating conditions. A general web search can give you a flood of resources of questionable quality, but the ones below are high-calibre, legitimate databases with vetted information.

See the resources below to research a company - each link takes you to a page with a link to the database as well as some instructions and screenshots about how to use it most effectively.

• IBISWorld: This database is a great source of both company information as well as info about competitors and the wider industry your company is operating within.
• Business Premium Collection: Here you can find articles from trade journals and magazines/newspapers that talk about your company, as well as reports with financial information. Be sure to check out the screenshots to see how to apply some useful post-search filters!
• In addition to these library-provided resources, be sure to check out the company's website where you can often find information on the organizational structure, initiatives the company is working on, company history, etc. Thoroughly explore all parts of the company's website - you never know what will catch your eye!

Once you've found out all you need to know about the company, see the following resources from the Career & Employment Hub to learn how to translate your new knowledge into insightful interview questions that show you've done your research. The focus of the Hub is career education, support, and professional development for students and alumni. The Hub team assists in the development of skills, knowledge, and experiences needed to begin a successful career.

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