Researching Employers
When you apply for work the employer will expect you to have done some background research. You will have to say why working for the organisation appeals to you, what you can offer them and show that you know something about the type of role you are seeking.
Search our employer database to find organisations working in specific sectors and locations. There are also links to recruitment agencies and language schools.
Other Databases
Many employer databases exist and you will find links below to a number that we feel could be particularly useful. They can be a way of identifying potential employers in particular localities and sectors. In addition, they can provide invaluable information on individual organisations.
- Guardian UK 300 - The UK's best employers, as ranked by students. You can also see rankings by sector, region and gender
- Times Top 100 - Based on researching recent graduates, it includes full details of the graduate jobs offered, plus a profile for each employer. Sign up for a personalised weekly or fortnightly ebulletin
- Best Companies Guide - The Best Companies Guide uses confidential feedback from employees to find out just how good their employers really are. Use the Best Match tool and search for jobs
- Find Graduate Employers - search for company profiles by sector or A-Z, from Graduate Prospects
- TARGETjobs - Employer Insights - find company-specific information to help you make the best applications
- The Job Crowd - browse job reviews of specific employers, written by graduates. You can also find a list of employers and different career sectors. Includes a Top 50 companies guide too
- Inside Buzz - 1000s of anonymous employee reviews, with in-depth company profiles and salary information
- Glassdoor - gives you an inside look at company reviews, interview questions, & salary information for thousands of jobs
- Sussex Enterprise Business Directory - search for Sussex businesses by name, keyword or location
Libraries
Libraries can be great places through which to research employers. All will have knowledgable staff and a range of resources to help you with this research. In addition to business directories and reference books that offer information on potential employers, many will offer internet access.
Use our library's Business and Management subject guide for some useful databases to conduct in-depth company research (You may need your ITS username and password when accessing these online resources).
You may find the following links useful:
- Sussex University
- West Sussex Public Libraries
- East Sussex Public Libraries
- Brighton University Library
Reference Books
When researching employers, reference books can be a vital source of information. Some contain names & addresses of potential employers that you may choose to write to when seeking work – particularly speculatively. Others will offer you this and/or background information on organisations. For example, the number of employees; the type of work done by the organisations concerned; typical clients and so on. Many centre upon particular sectors. By this we mean that some will be exclusive to publishing; to the Health Service; to law firms; to financial organisations and so on.
Within our Information Centre we stock a broad range of reference books that you may find useful. Our Information Staff can refer you to relevant reference books – just ask!