Employer research
From CareersWiki
Employers tell us that one common area students regularly fall short on in their applications is a lack of evidence demonstrating their motivation and interest. An easy way to correct this is to make an effort to research the organisations that you are applying to, and the position itself. This adds further appeal to your application in what is a competitive market.
There are a number of benefits to researching employers. By examining the differing aims and values you can better match a company with your own characteristics, improving the likelihood of job satisfaction should you be successful. Also in looking at one particular employer you are likely to discover organisations in a similar area, which often widens your area of search for employment.
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What kinds of information should I look for?
- What does the organisation actually do? What kinds of products or services does it provide?
- In what kind of market/sector does it operate? How does it fit in?
- Who are its clients or customers?
- Who are its competitors?
- What are its unique selling points?
- How has it been performing (financial information?
- Have there been any recent, or are there imminent, changes or developments in the organisation or in the market/sector in which it operates (any take-overs, mergers?)
- Has it been in the news lately? Why? (Why not?)
- Is it part of a larger group of organisations?
- Who owns it, if it is in the private sector? (eg share-holders, partners, employees)
- To whom is it accountable? (eg share-holders, public sector bodies)
- Who are the key personnel? (organisational structure, chief executive, directors etc) Where does the job you are applying for fit in?
Where can I find information about employers?
At the start of your search...graduate employers advertising vacancies in a range of occupations:
- Vacancies on our website
- The Going Global website which you can access by logging into 'My Career Centre' on the Careers Centre website. University username and password required.
- Graduate directories and websites such as Prospects The following links may be useful:
- Special Interest Series: Job Hunting Tips
- Find graduate employers
- Target jobs
- The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers website provides the very latest news about Britain's most popular graduate employers. Also has up to 10 of the most recent news stories
- Top Employers-Graduate Jobs Provides listings of top graduate recruitment schemes and graduate jobs in the UK.
- the Job Crowda new online graduate careers source which has over 500 job reviews from top graduate employers across a wide range of industries and professions.
For additional advice, please visit our Job Hunting on the Internet page.
Careers publications and websites which focus on specific sectors and occupations:
In the Careers Centre:
- Specialist journals/magazines
- Books (available on short loan)
- Employer directories to take-away eg Inside Careers, Target, Hobsons GET include graduate case studies
- Prospects "occupational profiles"
The Careers Centre also has a good selection of Videos/DVDs, including 'Can I Have A Few Minutes Of Your Time?' - networking and making contacts.
Company databases searchable by sector/industry and location:
- Business.com Business-oriented search engine
- EuroPages European business directory
- Kelly Search
- Kompass
- Jobs in Switzerland – qual.ch
- Telephone directories such as Yellow pages, Thomson Local and Scoot
Narrowing your search … find out more information about selected employers:
- Targetjobs Employer Insights independent reviews on top graduate employers
- Employer’s own websites (read every section, not just careers)
- Websites offering free company info
- AnnualReports.com America’s largest annual reports service
- Businessam Links to business news sites on the internet
- EDGAR US Securities and Exchange Commission website which gives free public access to US corporate financial information
- Fortune 500 for summary information on companies in the Fortune 500 list
- Hemscott financial information and annual reports of UK and US companies
- SCOTBIS The Scottish Business Information Service at the National Library of Scotland has the largest collection of business data in Scotland as well as an international collection of company and business data
- UK Company News Includes a directory of every major PLC in the UK
Electronic resources available in the University Library:
- Access these via the Library website
- Bankscope – a database of 27,600 banks worldwide
- Factiva - a Dow Jones & Reuters Company news resource covering more than 10,000 international business and news publications
- Global Insight - claims to provide the most comprehensive economic, financial, and political coverage of countries, regions, and industries available from any source
- Global Market Information Database (GMID) - award-winning online information resource providing business intelligence on industries, countries and consumers
- Datastream Advance – available on 3 PCs on Level 2 of the Library
Going that extra crucial mile … informal information
Personal contact is the key to gaining a proper understanding of the nature of the job to which you are applying:
- Talk face-to-face to recent graduates and past student interns at careers fairs and employer presentations on campus
- Use the Network With St Andrews Grads link on the Careers Centre website to make email contact with relevant University of St Andrews alumni
- Think about your own personal contacts – do you know who works in that organisation/sector/industry?
- Sometimes job adverts give the name and telephone number or email address of someone who is happy to deal with informal queries. Always take advantage of that opportunity with some well thought out questions.
- Even if you have no specific contact details, there is nothing to lose and everything to gain by asking the employer if you can visit or speak to someone (desirably a recent graduate)
- Some websites and publications have inside info, online forums and blogs where you can read “rough guides”, gossip, and existing employee’s views and gripes (eg Roll On Friday is a great resource for would-be solicitors). See the Careers Centre “Tactics sheets” for similar ones in other sectors.
This may seem like a time consuming exercise, but this small effort in additional preparation can make a real difference to your application or interview. By researching employers you can truly distinguish yourself from other candidates who perhaps may not have taken similar action.
