Don't cram before an interview!

Person studying and looking overwhelmed

Instead of reading up on an industry the night before the interview, start as soon as you realize which industries interest you.

You can keep up-to-date with the industries via trade journals and blogs. It's easy to do with RSS (e.g. NewsBlur or CommaFeed), email alerts, and/or weekly or daily email newsletters.

Industry Information

computer iconFind industry trends, concerns, and major players via industry and association resources. See the management library's website for additional industry information sources.

Finding an Industry Report

There are several library resources for industry reports. S&P's NetAdvantage contains detailed industry reports from Standard & Poor's and is fantastic for larger industries. For smaller industries or for international reports, try Business Source Complete or IBISWorld. See the examples below:

To get a water utilities report in NetAdvantage:

S&P icon

  1. Click here to directly access S&P's NetAdvantage.
  2. Click the Industries tab from the top menubar.
  3. Select Advertising from the drop down menu. Click the arrow button to go to the report.

To get a report on the advertising industry in China from Business Source Complete:

EBSCO icon

  1. Access Business Source Complete via the Management Library website.
  2. Click the link for Thesaurus from the top menubar.
  3. Type Advertising in the search box and click the Browse button.
  4. Check the box next to Advertising and click the Add button. Then click the Search button.
  5. Under Publication Type, check the box next to Industry Profiles.
  6. Click the link for PDF Full Text of Advertising Industry Profile: China to access the Datamonitor report.

Don't forget to check IBISWorld. This database is great for niche and emerging industry spaces:

IBISWorld iconIBISWorld provides industry research reports and profiles for over 700 United States industries as well as a wide range of industries in China.

Finding Industry Codes

What is an industry code?
SIC and NAICS are classification systems for industries. They allow you to group together companies in a specific industry in a standardized way.

NAICS code logoWhere can I find industry codes?
SIC and NAICS codes and code definitions are available from the Census website.

Trade Publications

Find trade publications and associations from the reference section at the end of the S&P Industry Surveys available via S&P's NetAdvantage. Also check with a Career Advisor in the CMC for advice on specific industry journals to read. Some examples are listed below.