This file is a list of things to research and find out about a target employer. Instead of the generic 'look at the internet' and 'read their website', I built a detailed list of things that one could or should know before talking to a potential employer, or a contact at a company. Some may not be needed, while there may be other things worth learning. But this is a great list to start off with, and I intend to ask people to do this BEFORE I introduce them to senior level contacts at companies. Best of luck on your job search.

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‘Researching a Target Company’
A Guide for Job Seekers
Jay Martin, Chief Innovation
July 6, 2022
This file is to help people understand some of the things they might need to do to research a
company. I’ve learned that many job seekers are somewhat lost in ‘preparing’ to talk to a
potential networking contact or go into an interview. As some push back on me to explain just
how great they are at preparing, I have yet to have any of those people impress me. As I said
to an unemployed 28 year-old as I was offering to introduce her to an EVP at a major consumer
goods company, “your conversation isn’t meant to be the time to learn about his company, it is
to show that you already have, and not to convince them they should hire you.”
A. TOP LEVEL
COMPANY NAME
What is the company’s name?
PARENT OR SUBSIDIARY
Is this company the parent, or a subsidiary or division?
HEADQUATERS COUNTRY & CITY
What country is the headquarters in? What city?
OWNERSHIP – PRIVATE OR PUBLIC
Are they publicly traded or privately owned?
STOCK EXCHANGE (PUBLIC)
What stock exchange is it traded on if Public?
OWNERS (PRIVATE)
What private equity firm, family, person or other group owns it is private?
REVENUE & PROFITABILITY
What was the annual revenue & profit and maybe last 3 years (to see if any big changes)?

2. B. INDUSTRY
INDUSTRY OR INDUSTRIES
What industry or industries (main ones, including the one of your interest) are they in?
PRODUCTS OR SERVICES
What product(s) or service(s) is their focus? What ones are for the areas you are interested in?
COMPETITORS
Who are its competitors? Inside the United States? Globally?
RANK (REVENUE)
What is its rank by revenue? (understand if country or global)
MARKET SHARE
What is the company’s US market share? (estimate) If you cannot find it, is it small or large?
GOVERNMENT OR REGULATORY
Have there been or are there any governments or regulatory issues highlighted in the press?
C. COMPANY DETAILS
DIVISIONS
What are their major brands or subsidiaries? How big is each, where do they operate?
BRANDS
What are their major brands they use in the market? For what?
FOUNDING YEAR
In what year was it founded?
FOUNDER(S)
Who were the founder(s) of the company?
FOUNDING LOCATION
Where was the company founded? (Country, State/Province, City)
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
What are some of their major acquisitions and divestitures? Any recent ones worth noting?
CORPORATE STRUCTURE
How is the company structured (geography, business line, industry)? Which one is your target?

3. RECENT NEWS
Has there been any recent news about them? What is in their press releases for last 3 months?
RECENT SCANDALS OR LAYOFFS
Has the company had any scandals in the Press? Announced any layoffs recently?
D. FUNCTION
FUNCTION NAME
What is the function you would be part (or are interested) of called?
FUNCTION ROLE
What areas of responsibility does your function have under it (e.g. for Finance – FP&A,
Accounting, Real Estate, Tax – some companies have different ones in different groups)?
FUNCTIONAL REPORTING
Does the functional area report up centrally? By region? Part of a shared services group?
SENIOR LEADER / C-LEVEL
Who is the most senior person at the company in that area? (C-Level or SVP)
E. DEPARTMENT
DEPARTMENT NAME
What is the name of the department you would work for (could be same as Function)?
DIRECT MANAGER
Who is the direct supervisor of the role?
DEPARTMENT LEADER
Who is head of that department if not your supervisor? (likely the same person, but maybe not)
DEPARTMENT SIZE
How many people in the department (this may be impossible to find)? Estimate?
OPERATION
What exactly do they do? (Understand at least to a high level)
SUB-GROUPS INSIDE DEPARTMENT (YOURS & OTHERS)
What sub-groups do they have under the Department? (Example, for Real Estate or
Development, maybe has - Franchises, Construction, Acquisition......know them all)
HIRING?
Are they hiring (if you are interviewing, then Yes)?

4. OTHER OPEN ROLES
Are there other jobs open? (could be of interest or helps you understand their needs)
F. INTERVIEWEES (IF KNOWN)
LEAD INTERVIEWER
Who is the main interviewer (if there is one or they are known?)
OTHER INTERVIEWERS
Who else is on the interview schedule?
INTERVIEWER BACKGROUNDS
For each Interviewer: How long are they at the company? Where did they work before? Doing
what? What degrees did they have? Who are the most/least senior people?
INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
Who are you interviewing with and when?
INTERVIEW TYPE
What kind of interviews does the company do (or did they tell you to prepare for)? (e.g. Critical
Behavior, Case, Skill)
INTERVIEW TIPS
What are some tips to help you prepare? (from Glassdoor, friends, other internet resources)
G. ADDITIONAL AREAS - JOB, PRECEDESSORS, CULTURE
JOB DESCRIPTION
Is there a written Job Description?
UNDERSTANDING THE JOB
Do you understand everything in the job description?
MATCH TO THE JOB
Can you match your skills and background to what the job description is asking for?
CULTURE
Can you find out anything related to the culture of the company, location or department?
UNKNOWNS
What information above or priorities of yourself are you unsure of?

5. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
There are numerous articles written on how to research, I am not going to do that here. There
are numerous articles and guides on places to look, but will just some sources out below.
Below are some places one can look to find some of this information.
 Company Website
 Wiki(s)
 LinkedIn
 GlassDoor
 Social Media
 Google and Yahoo Finance