Industry Research
Throughout this book, you’ve obtained knowledge about yourself and information on how to be a successful college student. Similarly, the more knowledge you have about your field, the better your chances of making a good career decision. You can gain an edge over other job applicants by taking the steps below to do industry research.
| Steps to Doing Industry Research | |
| Step 1. | Figure out what industries interest you. |
| Step 2. | Continue your research to identify your desired role within your chosen industry. Large industries offer many career possibilities. |
| Step 3. | Identify companies or organizations of interest within a larger industry.The federal government alone, for example, has approximately 575 departments and agencies! Because you have so many choices, this part of your research depends on your own expectations and wants. |
| Step 4. | Do research on each individual employer of interest. How well does the organization pay compared to others in the same industry? Does this employer require long hours or frequent travel? Set up an informational interview to talk to people who are already working within the organization. |
Finding out all you can about organizations you want to work for early on can help you make a career decision based on fit. The Tech Tip at the end of this chapter walks you through the process.
YOUR TURN > DISCUSS IT
Go online to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook (www.bls.gov/