I’d like to get to know you well: Conducting an Informational Interview

Kermit & Fozzie. Who’s interviewing who?

First things first: An Informational Interview is pretty much what it sounds like: an interview where you talk to someone in your dream job or profession or company/organization to capture some precious cargo (e.g., indispensable information). It’s also another way to practice interviews, and I promise you that it applies to you even if you have never interviewed before. Everyone has something to learn; take it from someone with several degrees, a couple of certificates, and a thirst for knowledge.

Informational interviews are great ways to practice for a real interview, but they’re also clever ways to find out about the job you think you want. Whether it’s your first job or a job that’s a career change for you, finding more out about what the expectations are, what an ‘average’ day might look like, and how people got the gig you want, sitting down with someone to find out what to expect and what you need to do to prepare yourself is a great way to make things start to feel real.

It is also a good way to get over The Fear (and we all have it). Fear of stepping into new territory, fear of being good at something, fear of being bad at something, you know — all the things we place in our way. In an informational interview conducted well, you’ll hear about fear and get to talk about it, depending on the feel for your chat.

And, generally, people enjoy talking about their journey to the gig they have; the stories tend to be pretty compelling, and you will likely be surprised at what you’ll discover. Informational interviews give you a feel for the job and the place.

Many years ago, when I applied to graduate school, I conducted a few of these informational sessions with graduate students and professors in the program who I might wind up working with if I were to be accepted. It was virgin territory for me; I did not know the first thing about obtaining an advanced degree. So, I hammered out a few emails and sent them along, expecting nothing in return. Keep in mind; this is 1998 and 1999; people were not as savvy online as they are now. We did not check email several times a day, and we still used the telephone and voice mail. Texting was too new to catch on, and there was no real social media like there is today. So after a week or so, I started receiving responses, and it turned out to be incredibly helpful. As I was not in the area of the university to which I was applying (this is not that important — you can be in Oakland and get an informational interview with someone in Oslo if you want), my interviews took place over email or on the telephone. It was incredibly helpful for two main reasons. First, because I got excited about going to grad school there (University of California at Santa Cruz) and second because people got to know me and the work I wanted to do. I was, admittedly, fortunate in that the work I did was something new and, therefore, memorable. When my application came through, it rose to the top. So you see, an informational interview could, conceivably, do more for you than get you some information. You will get noticed, too.

Still not convinced? Or, still confused? No problem. Turn the tables and be the person interviewed! Offer an interview to someone else for practice, perhaps with someone who might be interested in your job (or past job, whatever you’d like). This is a good way to think about how you might want to present yourself as a prospective interviewee. If you are changing careers, this is easy enough because you will have some experience. If you are new to the world of work, that’s fine. I imagine there is something you have done as a volunteer or a coach or anything, really, even a hobby. The point with this is to be the person someone wants to learn from. It will help you to frame questions you might ask in an informational interview for your dream job.

Here are some sample questions to ask in an informational interview and this goes beyond researching the company, organization, or about the position at hand. This is when you’re in the room (or at a coffee shop or over email) with your intended interviewee. Tailor the questions to your needs and the job at hand but above all, be curious.

When you think about these questions, do not worry so much about asking all of them. You might only ask one or three or seven, or you might just look at these and ask completely different questions. In fact, since my list for you is pretty vast, I don’t recommend you even shoot for half of them. Think deeply about what you want to ask and don’t stress so much on getting all the questions in. If you only ask five questions, that is fine! Remember that this is only a conversation. Keep it as casual as professional decorum allows. These are meant to grease the wheels, as it were. Get you to think about the idea of an informational interview.

As you go through your informational interview, make sure you read the room! Is your interviewee getting bored? Do they need more coffee? There are a lot of questions I suggest here; you do not want to ask them all. Avoid being too eager, just be interested and be interesting. Understanding emotional intelligence is so important, for any job you want. And, it’s a soft skill that is required of most places now.

Here you go:

· What led you to your current position in (X Company)? Did you already have the background for the job?

· Take me through a typical day and a typical week on the job.

· What are some things that come up for you that are not in your job description?

· What are some ways you have had to be creative about decision making?

· What do you like about the culture or climate of this company or organization?

· What gave you an indication that you were a good fit for the job?

· What sort of personalities fit best at this company or organization?

· What are some consistent challenges about your job and the organization or company?

· In what ways are you encouraged and allowed to grow in your job?

· What sort of professional development does the company or organization offer?

· What sort of professional development should the company or organization offer?

· How would I best market myself to the company or organization as a prospective employee?

· What sort of special training would benefit me in this organization or company?

· Are there other people in the company or organization I might benefit from speaking with?

· What real-life experiences prepared you for the expectations of this job and of working at this company or organization?

· How do different departments work together?

· What specific departments do you work with and how?

· What people work with you and what are their roles?

· Do you want another cup of coffee? Can I get you a pastry? (Yes, I snuck that in.)

· What parts of your personality shine in this position?

· Do you socialize with the people you work with?

· Are there common issues, challenges, or problems that come up for you in your position? What do you do to address them? Are they solvable?

· What are some of the new positions that have come up in the last few years that you didn’t expect to see?

· Do you predict new jobs in the next few years that don’t exist yet? In which areas or departments of your company or organization?

· How many people work remotely in this company or organization? Is working remotely encouraged or discouraged? What do you think about that trend?

· Where do you see this industry going and why?

· What are some of the patterns you’ve recently noticed when it comes to industry standards?

· What soft skills did you come into the job with and what soft skills have you developed since?

· What hard skills did you come into the job with and what hard skills have you developed since?

· What are some of the things I should develop professionally before applying for a job in this company or organization?

· I am really interested in _________ position. What are the three indispensable qualities I need?

· Who else might I chat with in the company or organization to learn more about what you do here and what the expectations of an applicant might be?

And come up with your own questions or discussion points that are specific to your industry or the industry you want to enter. I might ask about my favorite thing, Applicant Tracking Systems, if I were applying for a hiring position in a Human Resources department, for example.

(Come to think of it, I might do an Informational Interview with someone who hires in various areas so that I can write better, more informed, more valuable — and valued — blogs. See how this works for all sorts of people?)

So. Good luck and get to work.