The Tea on Informational Interviews

Have you ever looked at someone else’s life or career and caught yourself thinking… I wonder how they got there. I wonder what their job is like. I wish I knew their secret for balancing everything in their life. Let me stop you right there. Have you ever considered just asking them? I am going to walk you through the process of an informational interview to figure out just how to ask someone for their secrets to success. 

An informational interview gives you the opportunity to connect with someone that is already doing something that you want to do. By asking the right questions you can learn from the experiences of others, seek advice, and most importantly add to your network of connections that will help you find people who will support you on your journey.

Where to get started:

1. Find your why.
   • Ask yourself why you want to learn about a given position, career, lifestyle, etc
   • Figure out what it is that you hope to gain out of the interview process

2. Find your role model.
   • Find someone that already has a position, role, or job in a career path you want to be in. 
   • You can find people to connect with via LinkedIn, Handshake, Campus Career Centers, friends, family, etc.
3. Research them.
   • Once you’ve found your interviewee, research their profile and take note of their education, extracurricular experience, career path, and anything else you can gain information from in order to understand their trajectory. 
   • Researching prior to your interview will help to ensure you don’t ask questions they have already provided answers to on various platforms.
4. Reach out.
   • It is best to contact them via email 
   • It is important to be formal and considerate of your interviewee’s time.
   • Be sure to state that you share a common background, are looking to pursue a career in their field, and would like to seek their advice and gain some insight.
   • Decide on a meeting method. Whether that be a quick coffee chat or via virtual meeting platforms.

How to prepare for an interview

Once you have secured your meeting be sure to thank them for their time and confirm your interview by responding to their message. Also, be sure to follow up a couple of days prior by saying you look forward to meeting with them and provide them with a meeting link if you wish to conduct the interview virtually.

Remember to keep your meeting to no longer than 30 minutes.

Start off by introducing yourself and briefly ask them about their day in order to open up conversation. Then, ask about how their education informed their career decision and helped them along their career path. This can help to ensure that you learn from their experiences as a student and help you navigate your education and immediate next steps. Ask about things that they found helpful in their education, on-campus opportunities, extra-curricular experiences, and advice they would give.

Once you’ve set a foundation, ask about their pre-professional experiences. Discuss any internships or job opportunities they came across and how they discovered them. This can help you figure out how to gain real experience in your desired work field. Also, ask about the steps they took to get to their current position and what they wished they had known prior to entering the workspace.

Now that you have answers to all of your questions, be sure to thank them for their time and their insight. Ask if it is okay for you to connect with them on professional platforms, such as LinkedIn, and if they would be willing to provide you with their email if you have any further questions.

What to do after an Informational Interview:

Always send an email thanking your interviewee for their time. Remember, that they meet with a lot of people every day so be sure to be specific and mention something you discussed or advice they had provided you with. They will be an important part of your network in the future and may even be able to connect you to internship and job opportunities, so you want to be sure that you value their time and knowledge.

Now that you have successfully conducted an Informational Interview you can take the knowledge you obtained to inform your own education and career decisions.

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