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.
The SIC system is obsolete for government use, and has been replaced by a similar system called the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Many business directories still use SIC, however.
There is a tutorial on using SIC and NAICS codes.
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. The Reference USA database (in Online Directories) gives you information on where a company is in the chain by clicking on "Corporate Tree".
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.
Key to symbols in the resource list below  "First choice" = Try this one. |
 Includes overseas companies |
Reference USABeyond 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 Database Page has a number of resources you can use, including those below. If using these databases from off campus, you will need your My Chemeketa user name and password.
Business Insights: Essentials [Gale]LexisNexis Academic (Power Search) 
U.S. Public companies file annual reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These reports can be accessed on EDGAR, the SEC database.
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. This resource is available online in Business Insights: Essentials.
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.