Information originating from the company on its web site, in its annual report, and in its advertisements provides an excellent view of the history and the positive aspects of the company. Now you have to figure out how the company fits into its industry and the characteristics of its industry. After all, who would have wanted to join the best-run buggy whip company in the dawning era of the automobile?

Who are these sources?

Sources that have knowledge of industry-wide issues or who are not tied to a specific player are commonly referred to as third party sources. These sources include industry trade associations, specialized consulting firms, industry publications, government agencies, information providers, and security analysts. They cover multiple, if not all, players in an industry. They provide basic facts such as industry size, growth rate, names of participating firms, and industry studies.

You will find these sources through their web sites, on lists from Job-Hunt.org, at libraries, or at job-hunting resource centers. Trade associations, information providers, industry publications, and consulting firms almost always have web sites with public and members-only sections. The public sections often have information supporting the organization’s public relations or marketing goals.

Industry Associations

To find industry associations, use a search engine or go to a public, business, research, college, or university library to see if you can find Gale Research’s publication, Encyclopedia of Associations. [Note: Online, see the Internet Public Library's list of associations, by industry, and also Job-Hunt's lists of associations, by industry.]

Using a search engine, for example, I entered “candy,” “industry,” and “association” (without the quotes) into Google and found www.pmca.com, an international association of confectioner manufacturers. This site lists links to seven related industry web sites and four industry publications. If you see a reference to a study limited to members only, call the writer or the PR person (found on the "Contact Us," or similar, page). They might be willing to give you some details over the phone.

Specialized Consulting Firms

Back to Google. Find industry consulting firms by using industry specific multiple search terms. Entering “biotech,” “consulting,” and “firms” (again, without the quotes) produced pages of results. Two, selected randomly, offered free information on their web sites. Cutting Edge Information allowed access to “Pharmaceutical Competitive Intelligence” if you registered. Campbell Alliance had links to articles from industry publications. Consulting firms are unlikely to return your calls so stick to published material.

Industry Publications

Industry publications are valuable sources of information. The majority have web sites which contain some free information and allow searches of all content. An article reprint is relatively inexpensive if it covers a topic of great interest to you. But it’s free if you can find the publication at a local library that has a subscription or, sometimes, on the publication's Website.

While your town’s public library may have a donated subscription on an industry of local interest, you are more likely to find the publication at a specialized public or business school library. Any body can walk in off the street to view publications in Boston’s business library branch Kirsten. Or check to see if you can access publications at a local college or university.

Online, search for relevant publications on Google, or visit one of the directories of news publications like the ABYZ News Links Website where you can browse magazines by subject (also newspapers by state, and more).

Benefit from Your Tax Dollars

Government information is free or inexpensive. After all, you’ve already paid for it with your tax dollars. It tends to be an aggregate and not company specific, and it is often available with a considerable lag time so it may not be very relevant in today’s fast changing world. So if you are interested in a job in construction, you would find the report “Current Housing Report: American Housing Survey for the United States: 2003” published in August 2004 through the Department of Commerce portal.

On the other hand, if you are interested in biotech, the National Institutes of Health videocasts meetings and conferences live as well as archives them for future reference.

Information Providers

Information providers sell news feeds and research to clients on a subscription or single report basis. Some offer information free for marketing purposes. For example, if you register at www.reuters.com, you can access basic information about 10,000 companies and some research reports free. Free basic company info is also available at www.hoovers.com with the top three competitors listed.

Security Analysts

Security analysts often do industry studies as well as individual company reports. If you can not obtain them through a relationship with a brokerage house, check to see if you can access these reports through your local library. For example, the Massachusetts Minuteman Library Network had an arrangement to access reports over 60 days old free.

You may find that some of these sources are better than others for your industry or your job function. Or you are staying in the same field and already have a solid background. Either way, you need to understand your target company in the context of its industry dynamics to know its long term potential.

The Boy Scouts Are Right - "Be Prepared!"

The more you know about the company (the products, services, and organization), its industry, and its competitors, the more you will stand out from crowd of other job seekers who aren't as well informed. Use this information to customize your resume and your cover letter and to make a good impression during the interview process.

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Job-Hunt's Research Expert: Parmelee Eastman is president of EastSight Consulting which helps provide more effective utilization of external information in internal decision-making processes. EastSight Consulting clients range from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Prior to founding EastSight, Parmelee was the vice president of the global technology and communications practice at Fuld & Company and employed for 16 years at Digital Equipment Corporation. Parmelee holds a B.A. from Wellesley College and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. She can be reached at peastman@eastsightconsulting.com.

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