Informational Interviews: 5 steps
Informational Interviews: 5 steps
Informational Interviews: 5 steps
Informational interviews are a form of networking. These are conversations you can have with someone working in an area of interest to you (industry, role, organization similar to your target). They are not job interviews but an effective way to learn about current challenges and opportunities, career paths, and the names of potential employers.
The best way to find people willing to do an informational interview is to be referred by someone who recommended you speak to them. Another way is connecting after you both attended a workshop or a conference.
You can reach out like this “I was speaking with David Smith and he highly recommended that I connect with you about your experience with (prototyping small engine parts). David says it would be helpful in my research for information in this area and that you are extremely knowledgeable.”
Some people will be too busy, or will respond that they are not hiring, or that they are not the right person. Keep trying with other people, there will be others who say yes. Keep the meeting short, no more than 20-30 minutes and prepare questions beforehand. It’s really amazing how much you can learn from these meetings and how some of these connections last or become friendships. Connecting with people accelerates your learning.
Always follow up with a thank you email. State the top three takeaways from the meeting and share a resource that can be helpful (a link to an article/website/study). You should also let your referral know how the informational interview went.
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