Employer profile

Employer: Give name, address, and other contact information
on the organization.
General Information: Briefly explain the nature of the business.
Mention any international operations and give the approximate
number of employees. Note the locations of the greatest concentrations
of employees and operations if extensive.
History: Indicate the founding, key early leaders, impact on
community and/or public, and the significance of history to today's
operation.
Products/Services: Discuss the line of business or operations.
Mention all principal products and services and indicate the percentage
of their market share and percentage of the firm total
sales. Cover the scope of marketing/distribution and the perceived
product/service quality reputation.
Structure: Briefly describe the basic organizational structure.
What functions report to other functions? Where does the department
or function you are interested in fit into the organizational
structure?
Industry: Identify specific competitors or employers in comparable
operations. Try to indicate the relative ranking of size and quality
within that grouping.
Size: Get a handle on the scope of the operation. What is the
sales volume or budget? How many employees are there by various
groupings? What is the net asset base? Compare figures to
other benchmarks to aid in understanding the meanings of the
numbers.
Locations: Where is the home office? How large is it? How important
is it relative to other locations? Where are the branches
and/or plants? How many are there? Is it important to work in several
locations? Try to cover all of these points if the information is
pertinent and applicable.
Financial Outlook: Investment services provide forecasts of
sales and earnings, growth. Look at the various reports. Consolidate
their basic recommendations if applicable. If the employer is
not a business, try to obtain information on budgets and future and
current sources of funding.
Recent News: Summarize any pertinent articles that have been
published in newspapers and magazines within the past 18
months. News gives some important ideas on future direction.
Contacts: Give the names and titles of important chief operating
officers. Try to learn the names of people who would be superior to
you if you obtained a job. If you are applying for general programs
or broad training positions, identify the key personnel person who
you should contact. If you know the title but not the person, call a
secretary for that information.
Positions Available: You probably have a good idea of the job
that you want in the organization. Give the title and a brief description
of the job.