Be Prepared—Do Employer Research before Applying

Knowing a little bit can mean a lot when it comes to your internship or job search. Mulling through the thousands of positions listed on a job-search Web site, you may wonder which organization is the best fit for you. The answer is simple: research.

Researching an organization and position takes time, but it will enable you to align your skills with the employer’s needs and prepare you to speak intelligently about the company in an interview. Begin with the company Web site, where you might find a statement of the mission and goals of the organization, examples of work it has done, connections it has with the community, and other valuable information. Just remember that organizations’ Web sites are probably not fully objective.

You can find additional information about employer research on the Great Links to Explore page on the Career Center Web site (scroll down to the employer research section). These resources include Hoover’s Online, public and university libraries, Chamber of Commerce Web sites, PR Newswire, or your local newspaper website. These resources will give you financial standings, news, and other general information about the organization that you can use to write your cover letter and résumé as well as to prepare for your interview.

Back to e-mail home