Company Research During Your Job Search

By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Interviewing Goes Both Ways

Whether you are actively searching for a new role, or just have an eye out for a new position, it's important to do your homework. It's important to remember that the company is not just interviewing you for a position. You are also interviewing the company to make sure they meet your requirements for what you want and need in an employer.

When researching, remind yourself of the value of seeking information from multiple viewpoints. You'll gather different, yet often equally valuable, information from the company website, news sources, online review sites, and speaking with individuals who have direct experience working for the organization. 

Let's examine why, when, and how to conduct your vetting process.

What The Company Has To Say

When researching a company, start with the online sites that the company runs. This includes their company website, their LinkedIn company page, and their other social media presences. Your main goals include finding out more about the company and the logistics of working there to help you decide if the company seems like a good fit for you and is aligned with your career goals. 

Here are a few ideas on what to look for: 

• Is their online presence complete and professional? Is the information current?
• What details do they have online about their value proposition for employees? Do they mention employee perks, benefits, or their company culture?
• What industry are they in? How many people work there?
• ​What are their working arrangements?
• Have they won any awards?
• How are they active in the community?
• On LinkedIn,  are you connected with any of their employees?
• What is their address? If applicable, do they have office locations near you? For a possible remote position, is anyone else in the state in which you live employed there?​ 
• Is there recent company report on the website? How have their financials been recently?

The News

Once you have looked at company-run sites, it's helpful to do an online search to see how and when they are showing up in the news. You're looking for good and not-so-good information on the organization, as reported in the news. To do this, you could type in the company's full name and the word news, all in quotes, in your favorite search engine. Alternatively, you could type in the company's name in quotes, then click the news link on your favorite search engine. 

Here are a few ideas on what to look for: 
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• Company accomplishments and recent awards.
• Leadership and key staffing changes.
• Good works in the community.
• Activities or events they sponsored.
• Any legal news or actions.
• Previous or planned layoffs.
• Announcements about changes in company structure or ownership.

Online Reviews

After looking at the news, it's helpful to look at online reviews for the company. Remember, often, when people write reviews, they are either ecstatic or disgruntled--sometimes without much in between. For comparison, think about how you would rate a recent employer based on the best day you ever had at work there as compared to your worst day at work--and that both were valid in those moments.

Here are a few places to look that are focused on gathering and sharing opinions about organizations:
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• For general impressions of the company, visit The Better Business Bureau.
• To see history or plans for layoffs, search for WARN notices and your state.
• To hear what current or past employees have to say, visit Glassdoor.com.
• To hear what current or past employees have to say, visit Indeed.com.
• Search for review sites of the company's products and services.

People With Direct Experience

In addition to the news, reports on websites, and anonymous feedback, reaching out to people with experience at a given company for additional insights is also valuable. This is where you can leverage your professional network to connect with people who have firsthand experience. 

Here are a few ideas for how to find out more: 
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• On LinkedIn, look at the company's current employees. Search those employees for someone who is one of your current connections. Reach out to that person to ask about their experience working with the company. 
• On LinkedIn, look at the company's current employees. See if you have a second-degree connection with any of the company's current employees. Reach out to that person to ask if they are willing to introduce you to someone at that organization.
• Contact key members of professional organizations where you are a member. Ask if anyone there has insight on the company or knows someone who does. As for either an introduction or any insights they have to share. 

What Do You Think? 

What else do you do to research a company? Include your ideas in the comments. 

Learn More

• The Layoff Lady: Asking for Help Using LinkedIn Messaging
• The Layoff Lady: Using 1:1 Networking Meetings for Job Searching
• The Layoff Lady's Ultimate Guide To Answering The Question, "I Just Got Laid Off--Now What Do I Do?"​
• The Layoff Lady Book: Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs: A Guide