Researching Employers
Researching Employers
Researching a company, organization, or graduate school is integral in any search. By gaining more information about the structure and culture, you can better assess if the environment suits you and your career aspirations.
Where to Look
Handshake
UGA’s job and internship platform has a feature to search employers. Click “Jobs” along the top menu, then click “Employers.” Learn more about a company’s products and services, if they are currently recruiting, and if they will be at UGA soon. You may access Handshake here.
UGA Career Center Online Resources
Vault and Candid Career are two helpful platforms for researching employers. Access these resources here.
Search for a company, current employee, or alumni of a graduate program on the company or college LinkedIn page. This will provide you with access to multiple contacts when researching a company or graduate program.
What to Look For
- What is the organization’s mission/vision?
- Where is the company located?
- How many people are employed there?
- What good(s) or service(s) do they provide?
- How old is the company?
- What is the organizational structure? How would this role fit into that?
- Who is the CEO/President/other leaders?
- Who are the company’s main competitors?
- What are some major trends in the industry?
- How do they present themselves on social media? The news? What is their brand?
- How do they describe themselves?
- What is the company’s statement on diversity?
- When will they be on UGA’s campus?
- What do they want the person in this position to contribute?
- How do you match their profile? What examples do you have to show that?
- How can you help them achieve their goals?
Put it Into Practice
In an Interview
“Based on the research I’ve done, this company is an industry leader. When I visited your website, I found _____ to be very impressive. I also align with what your company values state about _____. Due to my background in _____, _____ and _____, I feel that I would be a great addition to your company or organization. I could utilize these skills to ______!”
While Networking
“Hi _____. I recently met one of your colleagues at the UGA Career Fair. They expressed that you were seeking candidates with a strong technical background in Java. Through my programming class at UGA, I have learned to _____which will contribute to your work on _____. Can you tell me more about other projects your division is working on?”
For Graduate School
“Dear Dr. _: I am planning to apply for your school’s _____ program. I was reviewing the program’s directory and noticed your research focus is very similar to my interest in _____. I have recently been involved in coursework and undergraduate research related to this topic. At your convenience, could we briefly discuss how I can apply these interests to your program?”