Company Research

Companies who are hiring look for many qualities or traits in candidates, including technical skills, written and oral communication skills, flexibility, realistic salary expectations, maturity and knowledge about the company. On occasion, the first question a company asks in an interview is "What do you know about our company?"

Even if they don't ask you this question, they do expect you to have such basic knowledge about them as: what services or products they provide, who their major competitors are, what newspaper or magazines articles have been recently published about them, their economic status, their company values, and what opportunities this company may have specific to your technical and transferable skills.

In addition to looking smart and well-prepared by having done research on a company you're interviewing with, you gain the benefits of knowing how (or whether) you'll fit into this company. If the company is located in another city, or expects you to move to a different location or do a lot of travel, it can only be to your benefit to know this going into an interview.

Potential reference material includes:

• Literature published by the company
• Personal interviews with company employees
• Newspapers and magazines
• Business Index
• Who's Who in Technology Today
• Million Dollar Directory
• Moody's Manuals
• Value Line Investment Survey
• Register of American Manufacturers
• Peterson's Guide
• Mobility Plus

Besides researching the company, you should look into the cost of living. The DeVry library maintains a list of Career Development Related Links that can help you with everything from company research to comparing cost of living estimates between cities.

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