Informational Interviews: 5 Tips for Success
While you’re still in school or job hunting early in your career, setting up informational interviews can play a critical role. During my Junior and Senior years of college, I had over a dozen informational interviews with leaders in the sports marketing industry. Each informational interview seemed to lead to another, which eventually helped me build out an impressive network fairly quickly. Informational interviews are a huge part of why I was able to work for brands like the Oregon Ducks and the Seattle Seahawks right out of college. I will say that your first few informational interviews can be intimidating and sometimes awkward (especially during a pandemic), and that’s okay. I discovered so much going through this process, but these top five tips are what I believe stand out as the most important things to keep in mind.
1. Do Your Research. I’m a planner, so I like to be as prepared as possible before every meeting. It is critical to do your research on the person you’re interviewing with (yes, it’s okay to check out those LinkedIn pages). If you come to your informational interview prepared to add commentary and ask specific questions related to their background; it shows that you’re taking the meeting seriously and are genuinely interested in learning from them.
Doing research and feeling prepared can also help bring peace of mind. If I don’t feel ready going into a big meeting, I feel stressed and nervous, and it generally shows. People can tell when you’re completely going off the cuff and are not prepared. Not to say you should be scripted — you definitely want to be yourself. Allow your discussions to be genuine, but come to the table with the knowledge to have a productive and constructive conversation.
2. Have Your Questions Ready. Again, preparation is important. I like to have an agenda with a list of questions that I’ve created ahead of time, based on my research. Key questions I like to ask are usually around the person’s story, the industry, how they see the industry evolving, where there are areas of opportunity for young professionals, what skills they look for in their employees when hiring, etc. You don’t have to ask every single question, or feel limited to only asking the questions on your list — think of it as more of a cheat sheet. It can help avoid awkward silence or fumbling around trying to think of something to ask. We’ve all had instances where we remember something after the fact that we wish we had asked in the moment. This list of questions will help remind you of those key items you want to cover.
3. Provide Copies of Your Resume. This seems like common sense, right? Circulate your resume and get it out to as many people as possible. Not exactly. That is not the reason I provided copies of my resume for these meetings. Remember, this is an informational interview, not a job interview. It is an opportunity to learn as much as you can from this person, while also making a good first impression. Normally, I would say to bring a hard copy of your resume for the person you’re meeting with (and about four extras, just in case) and ask if you can use the last 10 minutes of your meeting to go through it together and get their feedback. Unfortunately, being in the middle of a pandemic can make this a little more challenging. For video calls, I would suggest emailing your resume ahead of time and ask if they would be willing to go through it with you and provide feedback during part of your meeting. You can still screen share and review your resume together. If you are only able to have your informational interview by phone call, I would still suggest emailing your resume in advance of your call and ask them if they would be willing to provide feedback and send the resume back to you with their markups.
The trick with resumes is that they can be written in so many ways, and everyone thinks their format and rules of thumb are correct. The truth is, it’s completely subjective and depends on what you’re interviewing for. Make sure you tailor your resume to different versions to fit the industry/work that your interviewer is in, then get their feedback. I found that as I continued to get more feedback from different perspectives on my resume, I was able to evolve my understanding of best-practices for each industry, job position and the voice/tone I should be using.
4. Take Notes. That’s right, have that notebook and a pen or pencil ready. All those questions you asked, all that feedback you’ll be getting on the resume; that’s valuable information that you should be documenting. I like to ask ahead of the meeting if the person minds if I take notes — I’ve never had someone say they mind. By addressing that you’re taking notes, while asking their permission to make sure they’re comfortable with it, you’re coincidently showing that you’re taking the initiative and value their feedback and knowledge. These notes can also help you prepare for other informational meetings. Notes from previous meetings have helped me develop new ideas of what to ask, things to look out for and other possible topics to discuss for future interviews.
5. Follow Up and Write That Thank You Note. Notice how I said “write” that thank you note and not “type”? That’s because there’s a big difference. Hand written thank you notes are more memorable and continue to send the message that you actually care and appreciate that they took the time to meet with you. It adds that personal touch, which can be even more helpful when you aren’t able to meet your interviewer in person. It doesn’t have to be anything long-winded or fancy, but a simple thank you card. It’s important to tell the person you appreciated them taking the time to meet with you and it never hurts to add a note about something they said that you found impactful during your conversation.
However, email follow ups are just as important. Remember that resume feedback you received? Time to make those updates and send that new version to your interviewer. This is a nice way to show that you can listen, take feedback and apply it — while also subtly making sure they have your resume on file. It also gives a nice excuse to follow up and begin an ongoing relationship with this person without it feeling too forced.
I hope this is helpful. Be humble and try to learn as much as you can from the resources you get access to. These informational interviews are meant to be an opportunity for learning and potentially expanding your network. Just remember to be your genuine self as you continue to build these relationships.
