• Find the most suitable position for yourself.
• Help gain some idea of the career potential that exists with a specific employer.
• Locate employers in your targeted career field(s).
• Tailor your resume and cover letter to a particular position and/or company.
• Prepare effectively for an interview with an employer.
• Increase your competitive edge by demonstrating your interest, enthusiasm and knowledge of the company.

What Do I Need to Know About an Employer?

At a minimum, make sure that you are familiar with the following aspects of an employer:

• Name, age and location(s) of company
   
• Size and number of employees
   
• Product lines and/or services
   
• Parent company, divisions and/or subsidiaries
   
• Financial picture of organization, assets, earnings, stock picture, recent mergers, etc
   
• Major competitors within the industry
   
• Growth pattern and reputation
   
• Career possibilities
   
• Deadline for application
   

Where Can I Find Information About Employers?

www.oaklandcc.edu/placement/joblinks.htm to view various popular sites.

www.oaklandcc.edu/placement/jobs/jobBoards.asp to connect with various companies websites to view their Job Board.

Internet Research Sites

The first step in Internet company research is to identify the stock exchange ticker symbol for the company of interest.   Either of the following sites will identify the ticker symbol for a public company.   Be sure to make a note of each symbol, as you will be using this information throughout the research process.

• Yahoo! Finance
• Money.com
• Business.com - Find detailed information on 10,000 US public companies, 14,000 international companies and 23,000 recently added private companies: profiles, executive biographies, financials, news and more!
• Hoovers provides you with basic directory and financial information about 15,000 large companies, including links to their web pages.
• Thomas Register - Connects to a comprehensive directory of American manufacturers, arranged by product.
• Vault - Well known for its insider reports on thousands of companies.
• WetFeet.com - More than 1,600 snapshots of companies: history, business, profitability, and jobs!

Chamber of Commerce

The chamber local to the company you are interested in may be able to provide background information for you. For a list of chambers, with address and telephone numbers, click here!

Directories

• Directory of Corporate Affiliations
• Dunn & Bradstreet Business Information Reports
• Manufacturing Directory
• Million Dollar Directory
• Moody's Manual
• Standard & Poor Register of Corporations
• Thomas Register of American Manufactures

Newspapers

The business section of most newspapers contain numerous articles about local companies and their executives. Again, the College or public library is a good place to find current newspapers and indexes of newspapers.

Trade Associations

These organizations produce membership directories, journals and information briefs. Find associations that match your career interest, and then write to ask for their membership list, any printed material they offer, if they publish job listings or have a resume referral service and if they have student memberships. Remember, almost every type of field or industry that exists has a trade association affiliation.