Selecting Your Next Employer: Conducting Company Research
Factors to Investigate
Once you taken time to do a self-assessment of your values, interests, and skills, you can begin to search for companies that correspond with your needs.
If you already have a few companies in mind, you can also begin to research them using the following critieria:
| History | Employee Demographics |
| Size | Biographies of Management |
| Subsidiaries & Divisions | Employee Morale |
| Products/Services | Salaries |
| Facilities | Public or Private companies |
| Financial Data | Industry Outlook |
Being aware of these factors can help you brainstorm a set of questions that will guide your research and can help you get a better understanding of the company.
- What is the vision/philosophy of the organization, mission of the department? Does it fit or conflict with what you believe in ethically and morally?
- How much do you value the products or services?
- Is the company expanding are they in the midst of being merged with or acquired by another company? What are the financial and profitability issues?
- What is the management team like? Are they a flat, matrix or hierarchical organization? (This will give you an idea of how decisions are made and who influences those decisions.)
- Who are the competitors of the organization ? (locally, nationally and globally. Why is this important?)
Last updated on Thursday, November 10, 05 at 03:08:38 PM EST.
