101 Smart Questions to Ask on Your Interview (9 page)
Read 101 Smart Questions to Ask on Your Interview Online
Authors: Ron Fry
Ward’s Business Directory of U.S. and Private Companies
includes listings of nearly 100,000 companies, the majority of them privately held, and details that are usually the most difficult to acquire about such firms, such as number of employees, annual sales, and the like.
(also known as the
Advertiser Red Book
, because of its bright red cover) lists more than 17,000 companies that commit some portion of their budgets to advertising and promotion. It is available in two editions—classified and geographical. Major product lines and the agencies to whom they are assigned are listed, as well as the names and job functions of key marketing personnel at the listed companies and their agencies.
is an annual compilation by
Fortune
magazine of the top U.S. businesses, ranked by sales. It will become particularly important later in your search, when you’re targeting specific companies. At that time, it will enable you to analyze not only where a particular company ranks in the overall U.S. economy but also whether it is falling or on the rise and how it measures up against other companies in its field.
Two other potential sources of leads include
The Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters,
a listing of thousands of newsletters in a range of industries, and
Trade Shows Worldwide: An International Directory of Events, Facilities, and Suppliers
(Gale), which lists more than 2,000 trade shows and conventions. Why not consider attending some to learn more about the companies and products out there?
Become acquainted with a key reference resource—the various volumes of the
Standard Rate and Data Service (SRDS)
, all of which are available in most libraries. The volume in which you’re interested is Business Publications. In it you’ll find a list, by industry, of the thousands of business (or trade) magazines currently being published.
These publications are prime sources of information, especially if you are relatively new to the job market. Start reading them regularly (many are collected in metropolitan public libraries). Write for recent issues of the leading publications in the fields you’ve targeted. If you make reading a weekly practice, you will accomplish a number of important goals. You’ll begin to absorb information about:
In addition, published interviews with leading practitioners in the field will give you insight as to how they approach their specific jobs.
Finally, you should turn to the major newspapers and magazines now and then to complete your research:
The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Business Week, Fortune, Forbes, Industry Week, Nation’s Business, National Business Employment Weekly,
and
Inc.,
as well as the pertinent trade magazines in your field.
Finding Information on Smaller Companies
A majority of new jobs are created by small companies, but you may not learn much about them from most of the standard reference resources listed in the preceding section. If your initial research proves fruitless or only marginally productive, try the following outside sources of information:
in the community that’s home to the company or division can help you assess how the company has been performing: Has it been growing or shrinking? How many people does it employ? How many did it employ in the community two years ago? Do people consider it a good place to work?
Many trade associations are excellent resources for industry data and statistics as well as general employment trends and specific opportunities. Three helpful resources are the
Encyclopedia of Associations
and
Business Organizations, Agencies, and Publications Directory
(both from Gale) and
National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States
(Columbia Books, Inc.).