Research Guides: Career Research: Quick Interview Prep

Industry prep in 15 minutes

If you only have time for one database, your best bet is First Research. *Please note that once in the database, you need to scroll down to the First Research link, then on the next page click on submit.*

First Research (Intellect) This link opens in a new window
Industry Profiles: overviews, challenges, trends, executive insight, call prep questions, financials, forecasts, growth rating, and industry drivers. Industries by economic metrics: financial, HR, industry drivers, forecasts.

Access Note: Must provide Vanderbilt.edu email address.

Content includes:

Executive insight.
Call Prep Sheets with conversation starters;
Quarterly Industry updates;
Industry forecast, issues, challenges, trends, and opportunities;

In the unlikely event that your industry is not there, find a related industry.

EXAMPLE: If you have an interview at Pixar, look at "Motion Picture Production and Distribution" and also "Graphic Design."

Company prep in a 1/2 hour or less

Hoovers This link opens in a new window
Details on US and international companies, executives, market research reports, and trade publications. Includes financials, subsidiaries, and trade and business news.

Search by company name. Note the *type* of company that you select, i.e. make sure you are choosing the parent company vs. a subsidiary or single location.

Company profile includes: analyst and market reports, SWOT's, current news, contacts, financials.

Top 1000 companies have an additional CRUSH report which focuses on IT operations, but additionally goes deeper into company operations. Includes an organizational chart.

Example of SWOT analysis from Hoover's.

Statista for Career Research

Statista This link opens in a new window
Quantitative data, statistics, infographics, and related information compiled from market research institutes, trade publications, scientific journals, and government databases.

Includes a wide array of data, statistics and narrative analysis. International content, across most industries.

HINT: Quickest Search; large company name; product/service or other keywords

Features include:

Statistics
Reports:
- Dossiers (all top statistics on a topic)
- Industry reports: data relevant to a specific industry, including revenue forecasts.
- Country Reports: relevant country-specific data, including data on consumers and economies. Available for 150 countries.
- Toplists: top companies in a given industry or region, including contact details and key figures.
- Outlook Reports: data on the digital and consumer goods sector.

Additional Interview Prep Steps and Resources

Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Covers most business areas: management, marketing, economics, finance, accounting, & international business. Includes company reports, SWOT analyses, working papers, country reports, industry reports, case studies, etc.

All current Vanderbilt University students, faculty, and staff have access, both on and off campus.

In Business Source Complete, search for the name of the company and use the drop down to the right to select CO Company Entity.

Large companies: Select SWOT Analysis under publication type.
Small companies: Generally do not have SWOTs, so do a simple search for company name in any field. Look for news articles.

Factiva This link opens in a new window
Best source for current business news from business magazines, trade publications, and newspapers; includes the Wall Street Journal.

User Limit: 10 simultaneous users. Logs out after 15 minutes of inactivity.

If you are at Owen, go to the Walker Management Library book stacks and grab some case interview books.