Informational interviewing: an exploring student's best friend

By Priscilla March | August 1, 2007

Informational interviewing is perhaps one of the most rewarding, yet most underused, career development tools in everyone's career toolbox. As the name suggests, the goal of talking with people actually working in the career you're considering is to get information, not a job.

Informational interviews are great opportunities to: 1) help you determine whether you're in the right major for your career goals; 2) learn more to make better choices about your career path; 3) build a network of career contacts; 4) gain confidence for job interviews by practicing asking questions and providing information about yourself; and 5) help map out strategies for making yourself more marketable when you are looking for work.

Getting answers to your questions

When interviewing people for information (versus them interviewing you for a job), there's less pressure to "sell" yourself, so you can ask honest questions about the person's job, industry, or organization. For example, in a job interview, it might be inappropriate to ask about salary. But in an informational interview, inquiring about typical compensation would be acceptable.

Other questions you should feel free to ask include:

What's the best part about this job (industry, organization)? The worst?
What has your career path been?
What was your college major? If you could do it over, would you change it or do anything else differently?
What recommendations would you have for a student interested in moving into this career?
What's the outlook for your industry (business, profession)?
Does your career allow for a good work-life balance?
Who else would you recommend I talk to as I explore this field? When I contact them, may I use your name?

Other questions might be unique to you. Self-assessments, for example, might provide ideas for informational interview questions. Let's say a student has learned through self-assessment activities offered at her college career center that she is particularly productive when working independently (versus in a group). She might ask, "In general, how much of your work is done in a team environment?"

Finding people to interview

There are lots of ways to connect with people in your field of interest:

Your career center's alumni network - these alumni have volunteered to provide information and advice to students about their jobs, industries, etc.
Professional associations - check out industry trade association web sites for student mentoring and networking opportunities.
People on campus - this includes your professors and career counselors. Ask your personal contacts as well, such as your immediate and extended family, neighbors, co-workers, internship contacts, etc. Request their ideas on people who might have relevant career information.
Company web sites - especially those likely to have employees in your field of interest. For example, if you're interested in learning more about the field of healthcare administration, you could look at web sites of local hospitals and managed-care organizations to identify key staff to contact.

How to proceed

Once you've identified someone you'd like to talk to, what's next?

Make contact - If you have his or her e-mail address, you may want to try e-mailing your contact first. Explain who you are, how you found them, why you're writing, and ask to meet in person, if possible. For example, here's an introductory e-mail to the Director of Operations at XYZ Medical Center:

"Dear Ms. Jones:
I obtained your name from the XYZ Medical Center web site. I'm a health management student at Acme University and am in the process of defining my career goals following my graduation in June, 2009. My current area of interest is hospital administration, so I thought you would be a great resource for information and advice about this career field. Would you be willing to meet with me for 30 minutes so I could ask you a few questions about the hospital administration field and how best to prepare for it? I could easily come to your office at a time that works for you. Please let me know by return e-mail or, if you prefer, call me at xxx-xxx-xxxx. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[Student's name]"

If you don't know the person's e-mail address (or get no response to your e-mail message) try telephoning with the same sort of approach.

Remember to mention the 30-minute limit - a contact is more likely to say "yes" if you ask for a short amount of time. If you try to reach someone twice with no response, look for someone else to contact.

Prepare - plan ahead so you appear professional and prepared:
- Write down your questions and take them to the meeting. Make them open-ended questions that require more than a "yes or no" answer.
- Plan to dress as you would for a job interview.
- Know how to get to the interview and plan to arrive 10 minutes early.
Do the interview - try to relax and enjoy yourself, but always behave professionally:
- Introduce yourself and offer a firm handshake.
- Reiterate your promise to stay only 30 minutes.
- Ask your questions, but try to make it a conversation rather than an interrogation.
- Take brief notes if you like.
- After 30 minutes, offer to stop. Your interviewee may say it's fine to continue, but if he or she indicates that your time is up, say "thank you," ask for a business card, shake hands, and leave.
Follow up - within 24 hours, send a thank you note. E-mail is usually fine these days, but a personal handwritten note will always stand out. Express your appreciation for the time spent with you and note your plan to follow through on any suggestions offered in the interview.

Informational interviewing is a virtually risk-free way for you to learn a great deal more about a profession than by simply sitting in the classroom. In addition, you'll develop professional connections before actually beginning a career. The information you gain can make a world of difference in your career path and may even change the path's direction. And, just as important, the process can build your confidence in promoting yourself along the way.

Priscilla March is a career counselor in the Office of Career Services at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. This article is adapted from material produced by and available in UMass Lowell's Office of Career Services and is used here by permission.