Job hunting books and careers counselors often encourage job seekers to expand their career exploration by conducting informational interviews as a way to gain valuable insights about specific careers, meet professionals and get job leads and referrals to others in a career field. However, most people lose the battle of nerves and shy away from this wonderful networking technique. They prefer to spend hours on the Internet instead of taking a deep breath and phoning a stranger whom they have decided couldn’t possibly want to help them.

In reality, professionals rarely get called for informational interviews and, when asked, most people like to help others. Often, you won’t be calling a total stranger. Ask the ICC staff for referrals and visit the Alumni Association at Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center for alumni contacts. Or ask your family, friends, lab partner and others for referrals. One student reported asking a faculty member for contacts and came away with six names and numbers, as well as advice on the industry and publications to read in preparation. All six contacts gave her 20-60 minute interviews—one led her to a job!

Telephone Script

You can write a letter, e-mail or make a phone call to request an informational interview. Your telephone script could be something like:

“Hello, my name is Max Mustang. Alex Aggie suggested I call you. I am a senior in the Liberal Arts interested in learning about careers in technical writing. I’m hoping I could stop by for 15 or 20 minutes next week and seek your advice. Thanks, see you next Thursday at 3 p.m.”

Preparation

Prepare for an informational interview as you would for a job interview. Use the Internet, the library and your network to determine what you know about the organization and types of positions that are of interest to you. Look up job titles in the Occupational Outlook Handbook (Room 114, South Hall) to get a better idea about job functions. Unlike job interviews, you are in charge of an informational interview. Determine what information you want to address before the interview.

Dress should be business casual and a professional-style notepad and pen are appropriate for brief notes. Don’t expect to ask all your questions. This is a conversation, not an interrogation—let it flow. You should always bring your resume. Toward the middle of the interview, you may ask your contact to briefly review and critique it.

The Sacred Rule of Informational Interviewing

Do not ask for a job.

Possible Questions to Ask

Start by thanking your contact for taking time to meet with you and after a bit of small talk—the weather, the drive, etc., you will want to ask such questions as:

• What has been your career path?
• What are your current responsibilities?
• What are the plusses and minuses in your work?
• What trends do you see in this profession?
• If you could start over in your career, what would you do?
• What kind of entry-level jobs are there in this field?
• What type of educational background and experiences are needed to gain an entry-level position?
• From reviewing my resume and from what I’ve told you about my interests, what advice do you have for someone like me who wants to get into this career?
• What publications should I be reading to keep current in this field?
• Are there professional organizations that I can join now?
• Can you suggest others who I should meet? (Pull out your notepad!)

Thank You

As with any interview, follow up with a written thank you note to your contact. Not only is this the right thing to do, it leaves a door open to you for further dialogue.