Desk research that actually informs decisions

What you will be able to do

Skills you add to your Herizon profile when you finish: Desk Research, Market Analysis.

• A question sharp enough to answer
• A short list of free sources most people skip
• A way to tell a primary source from a quote of a quote
• Three findings you can defend, and a clear list of what you could not find out
• A one-page brief on a company you might work for

Who it is for

Time per page: 15 to 30 minutes Whole course: 3 to 4 hours (11 pages, at your own speed) This is for you if you are: - Preparing for an interview and want to know the company - Sizing a market or checking demand for something you make - Joining a new team and getting up to speed - Producing a brief for a boss who will read it in two minutes ---

The situation you work through

Sanni, a junior analyst at Nordic Mug, answers one question from her sales lead in a week: should the company test a pop-up shop in Tampere? She uses free public sources (Statistics Finland, a rival's financial statements, Työmarkkinatori postings) and ends with a one-page brief.

Your practice task

Pick a real company you would consider working at and ask one question about it that a hiring manager would care about. Use at least one statistics or industry source, one company source and one people signal such as job postings or reviews, with at least one primary source. Submit a one-page brief of about 350 words: the question, the bottom line, three findings with linked sources, the so what, and what you could not find out.

What is inside

1. Why research is more than googling
2. Framing the question before you search
3. The source hierarchy
4. Free sources most people don't think of
5. Reading a market report critically
6. Competitor and company intelligence without paid tools

and 5 more pages

Finish with a short quiz to earn your certificate.