Don't cram before an interview!

student holding head in hands

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, including weekly or daily email newsletters.

Industry Information

Find industry trends, concerns, and major players via industry and association resources. See our website for additional industry information sources.

Finding an Industry Report

There are several library resources for industry reports. Capital IQ 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:

Example: Get a report on the advertising industry in China from Business Source Complete:

  1. Access Business Source Complete
  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 Marketline report.

To get a industry report in Capital IQ:

  1. Access Capital IQ via your account or the dedicated computers in the library.
  2. Click the Research tab from the top menubar.
  3. Filter by Report Type from the drop down menu to view just the industry reports

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.

 Where 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 industry surveys available via Capital IQ. Also check with a Career Advisor in the CMC for advice on specific industry journals to read. Some examples are listed below.