 "First choice" - Try this one. |
 Includes overseas companies |
SIC stands for Standard Industrial Classification. SIC is a system formerly used by the U.S. government to group businesses according to the product or service they provide. Many directories and some electronic resources use SIC to indicate the types of businesses represented, rather than use a "yellow-pages" arrangement. Therefore a user looking for a certain type of business must know the SIC code for that business in order to find companies.
As used by business directories, the SIC code is typically a four digit number. The first two digits indicate a general area of manufacture or service, the last two a more specific one. For example, food products manufacturers go in group 20. Some specific examples:
| 2051 | Bread And Other Bakery Products, Except Cookies And Crackers |
| 2052 | Cookies And Crackers |
| 2053 | Frozen Bakery Products, Except Bread |
You can look up SIC codes at http://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/sicsearch.html. In addition, many business directories have a "cheat sheet" that helps you determine the appropriate SIC code.
The SIC system is no longer maintained by the Office of Management and Budget. It has been replaced by a system known as NAICS (North American Industry Classification System), but many business directories still use SICs. Some directories now use NAICS codes instead. The NAICS codes may be found at http://www.census.gov/epcd/naics02/
A public company is one that sells stock on the open market. Small, local companies are usually private. A large company may be either private or public. It is relatively easy to find detailed information about U.S. public companies, because they are required to register with and report to the Securities and Exchange Commission, and their stock prices are, of course, reported daily. Some large companies, however, are private. Examples are Levi Strauss & Co. and Kinko's. Private companies are not required to disclose financials and other information.
If you do not find a large company in a directory, it may be private; many directories include only public companies. Another possibility is that the company you are looking for is a subsidiary, or smaller branch, of a larger company. There are reference books that can help you determine this.
In searching for a job with a potential employer you will obviously need to know at minimum the name, address, and phone number of the employer. It is advisable to know the name of a contact person within the company, also.
| "First choice" - Try this one. |
| Includes overseas companies |
LexisNexis AcademicReference USAThese directories are available at Chemeketa's library. They will give address and phone information, along with a contact person. The "R" in front of the call number indicates that the printed directory is to be found in the Reference collection, near the front door.
Tip: Print the section of this page that includes the printed directories before you visit the library.
Oregon Business Directory R 338.09795025 Or3Oregon Manufacturers Directory R 338.09795 Or 35Washington manufacturers directory R 338.09797025 W275Directory of Corporate Affiliations R 338.740973 D62 R 338.74 H76Beyond the most basic name and address information, what do you need to know to evaluate whether you would wish to work for an employer? Here are some things you might want to consider:
Not all of these things are available from the same source; for some companies certain information may not be available at all. Many directories include information on the number of employees, years in business, annual sales, and/or credit rating.
If you are seriously considering whether you want to work for a company, you will want to find more information than you will find in a directory. Some directories will lead you to the Web site of a company. Another way to find information is to search for newspaper and magazine articles about the company. The library has a number of databases you can use:
To access EBSCOhost databases from off campus, go to the Chemeketa Database Page. If using these databases from off campus, you will need your My Chemeketa user name and password.
LexisNexis AcademicU.S. Public companies file annual reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These reports can be accessed on EDGAR, the SEC database. Put in the name of the company you are seeking. When you press the Enter key, a list of forms for the company will appear, in reverse chronological order. Look for the form number "10-K" in the left hand column. This will be the annual report, with substantial information about the company.
In addition to the sources already discussed, Chemeketa's library has an additional reference book which may be of use: International directory of company histories (R 338.74 In82) contains histories of large companies of all kinds. An index to company names appears in the last volume; major entries about the company are indicated by bold type, with a volume number and page numbers.
If your proposed job involves moving to another area of the country, try consulting Homefair. Homefair has calculators and information for those who are considering a move, including, a salary calculator to compute the cost-of-living differences among hundreds of U.S. and international cities; a moving calculator to compute the cost of shipping household goods; and reports on cities and schools.