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Learning Communities Spring 2025: Research and the Job Search

This guide accompanies the in person Learning Communities activities for Spring Semester 2025.

Activity Overview

A job interview is not only an opportunity for you to describe your qualifications and experiences, but an opportunity to demonstrate your interest in working for the specific organization you are interviewing with and learn more about how the organization and the position align with your professional goals.

In this activity, you will be using online scholarly and popular research tools to investigate elements of a company as if you are preparing for an interview with that institution. Each group will be assigned one element of the company to research: current and past employee's experiences; the company's financial status; the stated mission, vision, and values of the company; or the company's leadership structure. These elements each have a dedicated page that includes research tools and strategies for that area as well as examples and definitions for key concepts.

As you work through the activity, reflect on the following questions:

  • Why would you want to research this topic before interviewing or accepting a job with a company?
  • Does the information you are learning align with your professional goals, values, and needs from a workplace?
  • What more do you want or need to know about this company before considering a position there?
  • What information is easy to find? What isn't?