How Do I Get The “Inside Scoop” About An Organization?

By Barbara Hewitt

There are many ways to learn what it is like to work for a particular organization. One of the best ways to do so, of course, is to talk to people who work there…ask them about a typical day, the things they like (and don’t like!) about their work, and to describe the culture of the organization. As a Penn student, you have access to a variety of useful networking tools including PACNet (the Penn Alumni Career Network), the Penn Internship Network and the University of Pennsylvania Alumni Group on LinkedIn. All of these can be very helpful to connect you with Penn alumni and current student who can help you research an organization.

If you are a regular Penn & Beyond reader, you probably were already aware of these resources, so I am focusiglassdoorng this blog post on another resource – Glassdoor.  This is a terrific site which provides “user generated content” to help job seekers find out more about specific organizations. You can research salaries for specific positions, read reviews from people working at the company (currently or in the past), and find out what interview questions job seekers were asked for specific positions at particular organizations. Although not all organizations are represented, over 238,000 are, so the chance of finding information on companies, particularly larger ones, is pretty good. While Glassdoor usually requires users to post a review or a salary before they can access all of the information on the site, they realize that many college students have not worked previously, so they have created a mechanism for students to access it without having to supply such information. You can find the login link which will allow you to forgo entering your own information through the Online Subscriptions link on the library part of the Career Services website. Login with your PennKey and PennKey password to gain access to Glassdoor and dozens of other subscription-based resources available to Penn students.

Author: Barbara Hewitt

Barbara Hewitt is the Executive Director of Career Services.