You have leveraged your network, perfected your resume and cover letter, and now you have landed an interview. Research may be one of the most critical elements of your interview preparation. While hiring managers and recruiters can be counted on to grill you with questions about yourself and your experience, they will also most certainly be interested in assessing your knowledge of their company as well as the industry and its trends. A review of the company’s web site is a basic starting point, but this research will only help you learn about an organization from its own point of view. You will also want information that provides you additional perspectives and perhaps a more objective assessment. Baker Library can be a valuable resource and a huge time-saver in getting you up to speed quickly.

Our team of eight librarians can deliver information directly to you, or you can use eBaker, an online research portal that includes a curated selection of licensed databases developed specifically for alumni’s remote use. If you live in the Boston area, or find yourself on campus, you can visit us in-person in the Stamps Reading Room where we provide you with lifelong access to an even more extensive range of databases designated for use by authorized Baker Library visitors.

Here are five areas that eBaker can assist you with while you are researching and prepping for your next interview:

Company/Employer Profiles
OneSource Global Express, a licensed company database available in eBaker has information on over 37 million companies - public and private - worldwide. From OneSource Global Express you can access a complete corporate overview that includes a business description, a chronology of significant developments that have occurred at the company going back 15 years or more, a structure of the corporate family, current news about the company and biographical information on key executives. For public companies, financial information from corporate reports is easily accessible. The beauty of OneSource is that it provides significant information about companies in one portal.

Recent News and Events About the Employer
You will want to be knowledgeable about recent events involving the company. You also might have specific questions or areas of interest about the company that you want to pursue in-depth. For example: what is the company’s corporate strategy, what are the most recent products or services launched by the company? ABI/Proquest and Nexis are two article databases with powerful search interfaces that allow you to dig deeply into a company’s activities and events.

Key Players in the Organization
Knowing who the key players are in a company is critical information that can help you stand out. LinkedIn is a great tool for learning more about the people who will be interviewing you so that you can easily identify common interests and mutual connections. OneSource Global Express also provides biographical information on over 13 million executives worldwide.

Competitors
Demonstrating your knowledge of a company’s competitors will show that you have an understanding of the firm’s competitive position in the market. OneSource Global Express provides a link that identifies top competitors, as well as a convenient search interface called Peer Analysis that allows you to customize your own search for peers by industry, size and location.

Industry Overviews
While learning about the company that you are interviewing with is key, it is equally important to understand the environment in which it operates. Plunkett Research provides profiles on over 30 industries from apparel, textiles & fashions to manufacturing and robotics. These reports will help to educate you quickly on an industry by providing a synthesized overview of market and industry trends, as well as industry analytics, to give you an idea of the size and performance of the sector.

Contact Baker Library to make your customized career research request. Visit or stop by Baker in-person to access a wide array of databases available to you as a Baker Library visitor. Make an appointment with a research librarian, who can prepare for your meeting in advance, or if you find yourself with only 30 minutes, stop by any time during office hours, and a librarian will be available to answer your questions and assist you with resources.