Research a Company

Taking some time to research a company every time you apply for a job, and every time you go to a job interview will really help you stand out from the competition.

Completing company research is so simple, there is absolutely no good reason to fail to research a company during the job search process.

Where Can I Find Company Information?

• Online - The company's website, Facebook page and/or Twitter feed will provide you with good information about the company.
• Online - By searching for the company's name in a major search engine, you might, depending on the size of the company, find websites that do not belong to the company, but have information about the company. That way you can find out what others are saying about the company.
• Business directories - These directories can give you some basic information about the size of the company, the type of business they are involved with, and sometimes the names of key people in the organization are included in the directory. Business directories are available online and/or in paper form. Sometimes they can be tricky to find online if you don't know the names of all of the business directories in your area. If you visit your local library or employment resource center, the staff there will be able to show you the local business directories.
• Ask people you know - Simply asking around can be a great way to research a company. If you can find someone in your circle of friends and acquaintances who has some type of connection to the company, you may be able to get some very candid and helpful information about the company that you could not find anywhere else.

What Type of Information Should I Look For?

Contrary to popular opinion, you do not have to learn hundreds of facts about the company in order to demonstrate to an employer that you have done your research and have a real interest in the organization. Helpful information to look for includes:

• Specific type of products or services the company provides.
• Type of customers or clients the business serves and any very specific expectations those customers have that you may be able to meet.
• Specific challenges the company may face that you would be able to address.
• New developments the company has planned, particularly projects that would require specific experience or skills that you have.
• Approximate size of the company.
• Key people within the company.
• Key philosophies of the company.

What Can I Do with the Information Once I Have Found it?

Ideally, you should research a company before you submit your resume and cover letter. If at all possible, do not wait until the interview stage of the hiring process to research a company. If you have good company research at the beginning of the job search process, you can use that information:

• To write a better resume - Once you have a basic understanding of a company's goals and needs, you will be able to highlight on your resume skills and experiences you have that demonstrate that you are able to help the company meet its goals. For example, if you discovered that a company was launching a program to support people with low literacy levels, and you had experience working with people who had low literacy levels, you would want to include that information near the top of your resume in a way the stood out.
  
  A simple way to tailor your resume based on the information you have gathered is to use a combination resume style and include points that are salient to that employer at or near the top of your skills summary.
• To write a better cover letter - With good company research, you will be able to write a cover letter that addresses the employer's priorities. Those job seekers who have not completed good company research will not be able to address an employer's needs in the same way in a cover letter.
  Simply take some time to think about what the employer's needs are, and how you can meet them based on the job you are seeking within that company and with the skills and experience you currently have. Once you have figured out one or two ways that you could meet that company's needs, be sure to write about that in your cover letter.
• To make a great impression at an interview - Taking a little time to research a company as part of your job interview preparation is an extremely easy way to stand out from the competition. Very few people take the time to research a company, so it doesn't take much research to allow you to stand out from the crowd.
  Never go into an interview without having a basic understanding of the type of work a company does, the clients or customers they serve, and a couple of points that illustrate that you have the skills and experience required to help the employer fulfil his or her business goals.
  Some people mistakenly think you need go into an interview able to spout all kinds of figures about a company's annual earnings and stock prices. Unless you are applying to a very high level position within a large organization, that type of information is almost never necessary in job interview. Think about the type of information you would need to know about a company in order to your job well every day; depending on the type of work you do, that information may include customer needs, plans for new product development, major competitors in the industry, community partners and resources etc. That is the type of information you should be able to discuss at an interview.
  
  Also, it is perfectly acceptable to bring notes from your company research into your job interview. You do not have to memorize hundreds of facts about a company. Simply format your research in a way that looks professional and is easy to read (typing up a few point form notes is ideal for many people), and carry it in a professional looking folder.
  You can take time to review those notes while you are waiting to be called into the interview, and if you have to glance down at the notes a couple of times during the interview, that is perfectly acceptable. If you do bring a few notes into your job interview, be sure to avoid simply reading notes throughout the interview. If you spend most of the interview with your head buried in your notes, you will not make a good impression on the employer. If, on the other hand, you glance down at notes a couple of times for reference, reasonable employers will not take issue with that.

How Can I Research a Company if the Company Name Has Not Been Provided in a Job Ad?

It is easy to research a company at the interview stage of your job search, but it can be more challenging to research a company at the resume and cover letter writing stage of your job search, particularly if you are applying to advertised jobs, and there is no company name stated in the job ad.

You won't always be able to find out the name of a company from the information in a job ad, but sometimes a little bit of detective work will allow you to figure it out.

• Email Extensions - If you are given the option to submit your resume by email, the company name may be right in the email address. For example, if the ad says to email your resume to john.employer@123fakecompany.com, then the job ad is likely for a job at 123 Fake Company (or whatever the email extension happens to be). Use a search engine to look for information about 123 Fake Company to confirm your suspicions.
• Reverse Fax Directories - An online reverse fax directory is simply a website that will allow you to enter a fax number, and it will tell you who that fax number belongs to. These directories can be extremely helpful when you are job searching.
  
  Phone numbers are rarely provided in job ads, but often there will be a fax number provided. If that is the case, find a good, online reverse fax directory (simply use a search engine to search for the term reverse fax directory or reverse phone directory and your country) and enter the employer's fax number into the reverse directory. That may be all you need to do to discover the name of the employer who has posted the job ad.
  
  Some reverse directories are better than others, so if you don't find the information you are looking for at the first directory, try a few more. Also, some reverse telephone directories will do reverse searches for fax numbers, so if you aren't having any luck finding a good reverse fax directory for your area, look for a reverse phone directory.
• Business Directories - If you have been given a fax number, and you were not able to discover the company it belongs to with a reverse fax directory, try using business directories to find the name of the company. If you have a fax number, you will know the city the company is in based on the area code of the fax number. There is a very good chance you will also know the type of business the company is in based on information provided in the job ad.
  
  With those two pieces of information in mind, simply get a copy of a thorough business directory for the city the company is in. Business directories are usually organized by type of industry, so simply look up the type of business the company does and read through the list of businesses until you find a company with a fax number that matches the fax number you have been given. That will be the employer who has posted the job ad.

These techniques to research a company when you don't have a company name will not work every time, so if you have tried the above steps, and you still do not have a company name, do not spend any more time trying to find the company name to research a company. Simply go ahead and write the best resume and cover letter you can write based on the information you do have.