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Researching Employers
Why is employer research
so
important in your job search?
For starters, the more knowledge
you have about
organizations, the better able you are to identify those which match
your goals and interests. Once in an interview, your knowledge about
an organization can be used to demonstrate how your skills and abilities
match the needs of the employers and also shows your sincere interest
in working for them. Research will also pay off when offered a position,
as you will know whether or not you want to work for that organization.
Interviewers
say time and again that candidates who are well informed about
their
organization stand out from the crowd, whereas those who
neglect to research the organization seriously jeopardize their
chances of being hired, no matter how impressive their credentials.
Resource
Room: Books
listing employers and, in some cases, brief profiles of their activities
and
finances.
Employer
Web Sites: Annual
reports, information on products or services, locations of major
divisions are a few clicks away.
McKeldin
Library: Printed
and online lists of employers and information about them. To
find
printed directories, use the catalog to search for the terms directories and
the name of the industry you are researching such as accounting,
public relations, etc. McKeldin's home page
has a link to online databases. If you are having problems locating
the information wanted, ask
the librarians in-person, by phone, or e-mail.
Career-Related Web Sites: numerous
links to databases, online services, and the individual home pages of private
companies, government
agencies and non-profit
organizations from around the world.
Treat
locating employer information as any research project. Use
the skills that you have learned in your courses.
Remember!
Locating employer information and then learning it can be
time consuming.
Start early.
Don't wait until the day before your interview.
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