Once you have a good idea of the industries, fields of work, and geographical areas in which you want to concentrate your job search, the next step is to locate companies that might employ people in your field. Several publications contain lists of companies by industry, location, size, and other defining characteristics. A few of them are discussed here:

	National Business Telephone Directory. An alphabetical listing of companies across the United States, including addresses and phone numbers. This book includes many smaller firms. (Gale Research)
	Thomas Register. Lists more than 100,000 companies across the country, including name, type of product made, and brand name products. Catalogs provided by many of the companies are included. (Thomas)
	Dun & Bradstreet Million Dollar Directory. Provides information on 180,000 of the largest companies in the country, including type of business, number of employees, and sales volume. Also lists the company's top executives. (Dun & Bradstreet)
	Standard & Poor's Register of Corporations, Directors, and Executives. Information similar to that in Dun & Bradstreet's Million Dollar Directory. Also contains a listing of the parent companies of subsidiaries and the interlocking affiliations of directors. (Standard & Poor)

There are many directories that give information about firms in particular industries. A few samples are listed below:

	The Blue Book of Building and Construction
	Directory of Advertising Agencies
	Directory of Computer Dealers

Your local chamber of commerce and business associations may also publish directories listing companies in your area. These are available in libraries or by writing to individual associations. And, of course, the Yellow Pages provides local listings of government and business organizations for every section of the country.

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