1. What does the organization do? This is important to know, even if the job position you will be taking on is general in nature. An organization is driven by its mission, by what it does. If you know and believe in that mission, you are more likely to be hired there. 2. Who are its customers? These are the people you may be interacting with every day or making products for. 3. What products are manufactured, distributed, or sold? Knowing the answer to this question makes conversations during the interview easy. 4. What market(s) does it serve? Does the business work mostly with consumers, the people who are buying the item? Or is it primarily other businesses? 5. Who are the organization’s competitors? This question is easy to answer using AtoZdatabases’ business database. Once you have logged into the database with your library card, type in a business name under the, “Find a Business” box on AtoZ’s homepage. This will bring up a list of businesses. Click on one to open its profile. The profile page will tell you more in-depth information about the business and it’s competitors. 6. What are the sales, assets, and earnings? Finding the answer to this question will tell you the company’s growth prospects. Are they doing well? Can they afford to hire you? 7. How many employees are there? You want to find out the number of employees because this will tell you the size of the organization. Large organizations have a different culture than small ones. Are you the type of person who likes to wear many different hats? A small company might be better for you. 8. Are there other locations of the organization’s plant or office? This is helpful to know for several reasons. If you like to travel or enjoy living in different places, look for a company with several locations. Also, if you really like the company but they are not hiring at this point, one of their other locations might be.