Market Research
One can begin by exploring a group of industries of sectors that are relevant to your career objectives. Many research tactics can be used to gain this information, though the most convinient is the Internet. All companies have websites, which provide information about their organizations, products, services and history. Many companies are part of specialized trade groups and professional organizations, which usually provide nice and handy lists of member companies on their website or through print publications.
When doing geographic research, Internet search engines can still provide useful data. Local yellow pages and telephone directories can help you track down the harder to find companies that may not be fully listed in the popular search engines. One of the best research tools based on geography is the local chamber of commerce. Most have websites with member listsings and others have print publications that can help the researcher gain invaluabe information about the types and number of companies that are based in a particular area.
Once you have gathered some data, it can be helpful to create a reseach summary for each industry sector, geographic location or sector explored. This should be followed by a list of companies that can be targetted. Once this list has been revised, it is time to begin search for contacts within the companies that can be networked to gain more information about future career prospects. Your final market research will be complete once you have gathered all the relevant information about your industry of choice and have established relationships with one or more key people in these sectors.