Informational Interviews

One of the best sources for gathering information about what’s happening in an occupation or an industry is to talk to people working in the field. This process is called informational or research interviewing. An informational interview is an interview that you initiate – you ask the questions. The purpose is to obtain information, not to get a job.

Following are some good reasons to conduct informational interviews:

• to explore careers and clarify your career goal
• to discover employment opportunities that are not advertised
• to expand your professional network
• to build confidence for your job interviews
• to access the most up-to-date career information
• to identify your professional strengths and weaknesses

Listed below are steps to follow to conduct an informational interview:

Identify the occupation or industry you wish to learn about
Assess your own interests, abilities, values, and skills, and evaluate labor conditions and trends to identify the best fields to research.

Prepare for the interview
Read all you can about the field prior to the interview. Decide what information you would like to obtain about the occupation/industry. Prepare a list of questions that you would like to have answered. (see additional preparation tips below)

Identify people to interview
Start with lists of people you already know – friends, relatives, fellow students, present or former co-workers, supervisors, neighbors, etc… Professional organizations, the yellow pages, organizational directories, and public speakers are also good resources. You may also call an organization and ask for the name of the person by job title.

Arrange the interview
Contact the person to set up an interview: by telephone, by a letter followed by a telephone call, or by having someone who knows the person make the appointment for you.

Conduct the Interview
Dress appropriately, arrive on time, and be polite and professional. Refer to your list of prepared questions; stay on track, but allow for spontaneous discussion. Before leaving, ask your contact to suggest names of others who might be helpful to you and ask permission to use your contact’s name when contacting these new contacts.

Follow Up
Immediately following the interview, record the information gathered. Be sure to send a thank-you note to your contact within one week of the interview.

NOTE: Always analyze the information you’ve gathered. Adjust your job search, resume, and career objective if necessary.

Sample Questions

You are encouraged to prepare your own list of questions for your informational interview.  You may choose to use some of the following examples:

• On a typical day in this position, what do you do?
• What training or education is required for this type of work?
• What personal qualities or abilities are important to being successful in this job?
• What part of this job do you find most satisfying? Most challenging?
• How did you get your job?
• What opportunities for advancement are there in this field?
• What entry level jobs are best for learning as much as possible?
• What are the salary ranges for various levels in this field?
• How do you see jobs in this field changing in the future?
• Is there a demand for people in this occupation?
• What special advice would you give a person entering this field?
• What types of training do companies offer persons entering this field?
• What are the basic prerequisites for jobs in this field?
• Which professional journals and organizations would help me learn more about this field?
• What do you think of the experience I’ve had so far in terms of entering this field?
• From your perspective, what are the problems you see working in this field?
• If you could do things all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? Why? What would you change?
• With the information you have about my education, skills, and experience, what other fields or jobs would you suggest I research further before I make a final decision?
• What do you think of my resume? Do you see any problem areas? How would you suggest I change it?
• Who do you know that I should talk to next? When I call him/her, may I use your name?
• What was your major in college?
• Tell me about the industry and some of the trends you see emerging.
• What credentials, degrees and certifications are needed in your position or for someone starting out in this industry?
• What are you responsible for, specifically, in your position?
• What is your philosophy of work?
• What skills do you see as essential for someone in this business (definable such as: computer programming, accounting, instructing, public speaking, etc., and less definable such as: organizing, attention to details, flexibility, and multi-task projects).
• What is a typical day like for you in your position?
• What are the positives about this position and what are some of the negatives?
• Do companies such as this view internships as way of getting into this industry?
• What qualities do you look for in employees?
• How does one succeed in this industry?
• What educational backgrounds do you look for when hiring new employees?
• What professional organizations/associations should I join?
• What prior experiences are helpful and what are essential for someone in this career?
• Is there anything I haven’t asked that it would be helpful for me to know?