How to identify local companies in metro area that may be hiring??

March 16, 2011 11:13 AM

How can I identify what companies are located within a certain, targeted geography? Looking for work and would like to be specific with respect to industry, size, and location, down to the level of specific areas of town/suburbs. Live in Atlanta.

I have spoken with a job search company here in Atlanta, and they have offered - for $5K - to work with me to ID companies (and of course do additional work on resume, ID'ing contact people at the companies they identify, working on cover letters, etc.).

But one of the things they keep on mentioning is 'access to their data base' that supposedly allows me to do a search on criteria such as what I identified in my original question.

So I was wondering... can I do a good bit of this geo/size/industry research myself? If so... how?

posted by dyerfr to Work & Money (8 answers total)

I do this all the time up here in Canada. I work in a Public Library and we have electronic databases as well as paper directories that break down exactly as you specify. Try asking at the Atlanta Public Library, I'm in a small community library and if we have it, then they should too. Helping people find this information to get jobs is one of the things public libraries do well.
posted by saucysault at 11:18 AM on March 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

Zip Code Business Patterns from the US Census (latest data is from 2008) will give you an idea of what kinds of industries are in your area and how many people they employ. It will not give you the names of the businesses.
posted by desjardins at 11:35 AM on March 16, 2011

Some industry sectors in the UK have company directories that are publicly available - is this something that happens in the US also? Another option might be to look for membership lists of the key trade assocations in your industry.
posted by biffa at 11:38 AM on March 16, 2011

You might try DnB, What you are looking for is a direct mail style list that can filter down to the level you want. You can probably get the list of companies from Dun and Bradstreet for less than $100, depending how big the list is. Then you do the grunt work of hitting each companies web site, looking for opening, contact names, etc.

I certainly wouldn't pay a headhunter $5000 for that service though.
posted by COD at 11:38 AM on March 16, 2011

Are you looking for companies also in Atlanta? I agree that a librarian* can be a great help here. Have you looked in the Atlanta Business Chronicle's Book of Lists? That is a good resource for Atlanta company information.

*IAAAL (I Am An Atlanta Librarian) but I don't currently work in a library. If you want specific ATL librarian links, memail me. I know several good folks in several libraries here :)
posted by pointystick at 11:39 AM on March 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

And if the link above is what you are looking for, many (most?) libraries should have a copy. I know all my former library employers (college/universities) had it in their business section. That is a pricey book so don't buy if you don't have to!
posted by pointystick at 11:41 AM on March 16, 2011

Your library may subscribe to ReferenceUSA, which is what I would use to answer such a question. (and have - a fun one having to do with limo and towncar companies with more than 15 employees in specific Washington DC suburbs)
posted by clerestory at 12:53 PM on March 16, 2011

Yeah, go to the library.
posted by willpie at 1:16 PM on March 16, 2011