Pre-Interview Research
Use the following databases to help you find the latest company news, competition, corporate structure & subsidiaries, financials, history & mission, management team, products & services, and SWOT analysis. For more company information see Company Information Sources.
COMPANY OVERVIEWS
- Hoover's Company Records This link opens in a new window The Hoover's Company Records Database via Nexis Uni contains information for more than 40,000 major public and private companies worldwide. In-Depth Records include overviews and histories, up to 10 years of key financial and employment data, lists of products and key competitors, names of key officers, addresses, and phone and fax numbers.
- MarketLine Company Profiles This link opens in a new window MarketLine (formerly Datamonitor) Company Profiles provide profiles of companies worldwide. Each profile includes a business description, company history, key employees, major products/services and competitors. Many of the profiles contain a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis. To locate company profile, browse alphabetical list of company profiles or type company name into Browse For search box and click on Browse button. Available through Business Source Complete.
- Mergent Online This link opens in a new window In-depth company information and financials for international public companies. Allows you to export financials into Excel and create company comparisons using ratios and other financial metrics. Good source for annual reports and company 10K’s. Provides access to research reports written by analysts at leading investment banks, brokerage houses and consulting firms. Click on the Investext tab to access the analyst reports.
COMPANY NEWS
- Factiva This link opens in a new window Provides worldwide full text access to local and regional newspapers, trade publications, business newswires, press release wires, media transcripts, news photos, business-rich websites, investment analyst reports, market research reports, country and regional profiles, company profiles, historical market data.
- ProQuest One Business This link opens in a new window ProQuest One Business combines multiple ProQuest business information databases including ABI-Inform, Accounting, Tax & Banking and Entrepreneurship and contains more than 130 million documents. Content in this database also covers over 2,400 journals and magazines, several hundred news sources, thousands of ebooks, videos and company, industry and country reports.
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window Nexis Uni is a source for newspapers and magazines, trade journals, wire services and transcripts, as well as legal sources for federal and state cases and statutes, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions since 1790, and information on U.S. and international companies and executives.
COMPANY INSIGHTS
- Glassdoor.com Company overviews from employee perspective, includes salary information and what it is like to work for company.
- FirstHand (formerly Vault)Access provided by Boston University Career Center. Registration is required for first time users. Follow these steps to create your account:
1. Go to Firsthand and click "Get Started".
2. Click on “Register now” at the bottom of the box. Enter your BU email address on the next page. Complete the registration process and then click “Create Account” to get started.
3. Click on the link Firsthand e-mails you to confirm your email address (this can take several minutes to process). Note: Firsthand will send you a follow up email to “complete your profile.” This is not required, and completely optional.
Excellent resource on what it can be like to work within an industry, company, or profession.
How to Find the Vault Guides and Rankings:
Vault Guides are under “The Library.” Select The Library tab on the left side of the page, and you’ll see a link for Guides in the top navigation bar.
Vault Rankings are under “Careers.” Select the Careers tab on the left side of the page to see rankings in various fields.
The Careers tab also includes FirstHand Industries and Professions which include Industry profiles and Profession profiles.
* For more information, see Company and Industry Information Sources. See also, Career: How to Analyze Your Industry.
Assistant Head, Information Services
Books
501+ Great Interview Questions for Employers and the Best Answers for Prospective Employees by
This updated 2015 book contains a wide variety of carefully worded questions for both employers and job seekers. Determine personality types, the type of work a person is best suited for, and much more!
Publication Date: 2016
How to Interview Like a Top MBA by
Strategies for turning your next interview into an offer--as taught at today's leading business schools Every job interview is a one-shot opportunity to dramatically improve your career and lifestyle. World-class MBA programs recognize this fact and now provide their students with detailed courses and coaching on how to dress for an interview, what to say, what not to say, and more. How to Interview Like a Top MBA presents today's best-of-the-best strategies and skills into an all-in-one, MBA-level interviewing how-to. Featuring insights from Fortune 100 executives, headhunters, career counselors, and MBA graduates, this no-nonsense guidebook arms you with: Tips for highlighting your relevant skills and experience with concise, compelling, and well-structured answers Information you should know about an interviewing company, its industry, the position, and even the interviewers themselves Ways to directly address résumé weak spots or periods of extended unemployment--without apologizing! Techniques for identifying and highlighting transferable skills when you're looking to enter a new profession Worksheets, charts, and other hands-on tools for mapping out a powerful interview strategy and plan of action 100 sample questions you can expect to hear--with sample answers that can impress your interviewer In today's ultracompetitive and uncompromising job market, the next position you get will set the tone for the rest of your career. Let How to Interview Like a Top MBAshow you how to develop the skills and confidence you need to enter each interview as a top candidate--and turn that interview into an exciting new job.
Publication Date: 2004
Negotiating Your Salary and Perks by
Almost every initial compensation offer can be improved on--in many cases, dramatically--with a little savvy negotiating. This book will help job seekers maximize their salary, title, responsibilities, perks, work flexibility, and more by teaching readers how to negotiate the terms of their next job from the moment they start looking for it.
Publication Date: 2005
Excel at Graduate Interviews by
This book will guide you in the essential steps of the interview process, from initial preparation to crafting a strong answer to common questions. Insights from employers and candidates provide tips on technique, while reflective exercises allow you to make the most of each interview experience.
Publication Date: 2016
