Deciding what career to pursue can be a difficult process. There are several factors to consider, and it’s hard to know what jobs you will enjoy without first having some experience. These feelings are normal, but they don’t have to be paralyzing. You can conduct informational interviews to get exposure to professional paths that interest you.
What is Informational Interviewing?
Informational interviewing is talking with someone to learn about an occupation, company, or industry. What you gain from these conversations can provide guidance about the direction you should go in your educational and professional pursuits.
What does Informational Interviewing Look Like?
While informational interviewing typically works best when it is face to face, technology can be used as appropriate. If meeting face to face is not possible, consider these other options:
- Video calls
- Phone calls
- Email inquiries
- Text messages
Informational interviewing can be formal or informal. In general, formal interviews are planned and scheduled while informal interviews occur in everyday conversation.
Informal
- Asking a neighbor what they do for their job
- Asking a friend what they enjoy about their job
- Asking a sibling about their work benefits
Formal
- Holding a meeting with a professional to discuss their work
- Calling a company to learn more about what they do
- Contacting a hiring manager to know what he or she looks for when hiring employees
Do not mix informational interviewing with job seeking. You can be honest if you are looking for a job, but make sure the person you are interviewing knows the meeting is for you to learn, not receive a job. If you discover a position you want to apply for during an interview, submit a formal application afterwards.
What are the Benefits of Informational Interviewing?
Informational interviews provide insight into the professional world and help you prepare for or make changes to your career. Holding interviews can help you:
- Choose or refine a career path
- Determine what to study in college
- Learn how to break into a career field, industry, or company
- Determine which skills you have and which skills you need to obtain
- Learn from others who own or started small businesses
Informational interviewing is also a great way to build your network. The relationships you establish during interviews might lead to job opportunities throughout your career.
How do I Conduct an Informational Interview?
To ensure that your informational interview is successful, it is important to know what to do before, during, and after.
Preparing for an informational interview
For formal meetings, you should always be prepared with questions to help you learn more about careers, companies, or industries you are interested in. Research ahead of time so that you can ask in-depth and pertinent questions that are not easily found through web searches. Consider the following questions and adapt them as needed:
- How did you get started in this career?
- What defines success in this career?
- What skills or training are necessary to enter this field?
- What are the greatest challenges in this career?
- What are the positive and negative aspects of this work environment?
- What is an average day like in this field?
You may also want to confirm the appointment the day before. This will typically help you and the person you are interviewing avoid scheduling conflicts ahead of time.
Conducting an informational interview
If you are attending a formal interview, dress the way you would for a job interview. Business casual will suffice most of the time, but you may consider wearing business professional for some interviews.
When contacting people or companies, be organized, punctual, respectful, and concise. For in-person meetings, the following tips will help:
- Arrive to the meeting early
- Give a firm handshake
- Make eye contact
- Mirror the interviewee’s body language
- Keep to the time limits agreed to when you set the appointment
Regardless of how your informational interview is conducted, you can make a positive impression simply by being professional.
After an informational interview
Send thank you letters and express your appreciation to any who hold formal meetings with you. These will most often be emails but could be letters sent in the mail if appropriate. Establishing positive relationships with contacts increases the likelihood that they will recommend you for a job.
You should also evaluate how the experience went. Some questions you can ask yourself are:
- What went well?
- What could have gone better?
- What do you wish you had said or not said?
- What will you do differently in your next interview?