OFFICE OF CAREER SERVICES

PATRIOTS TO PROFESSIONALS

Informational Interviewing

Overview

Often the most current information about a career field, especially in a specific geographic location, may not be available in print or online resources. The best information comes from people who are actually working in that career field. An informational interview is an informal conversation with someone working in an area of interest to you who will give you information and advice. It is an effective research tool in addition to reading books, exploring the Internet and examining job descriptions. It is not a job interview, and the objective is not to find job openings.

You may feel awkward making arrangements to talk with people you don't know about their work. However, most people actually enjoy taking a few moments out of their day to reflect on their professional life and to give advice to someone with an interest in their field.

Benefits of Informational Interviewing

• Get firsthand and relevant information about the realities of working within a particular field, industry or position. This kind of information is not always available in print.
• Find out about career paths you did not know existed.
• Clarify your initial goals and how a particular career may match your interests, lifestyle and future plans.
• Improve your communication skills by talking informally with an interested professional.
• Develop job search skills. Resume writing and job interviewing become much easier when you have a good sense of what interests you and how your background and skills match the qualifications of a particular field, industry or job.
• Initiate a professional relationship and expand your network of contacts in a particular career field.

Steps for Informational Interviewing

1. Identify people to interview

   • Pursue your own contacts. People you already know, even if they aren't in fields of interest to you, can lead you to people who are. This includes family, friends, teaching assistants, professors and former employers.
   • Contact professional or trade associations.
   • Log into PatriotJobs to access employer contacts.
   • Contact members of the Patriots Career Mentor Network.
   • Access employer contacts throught CareerShift.
   • Read newspaper and magazine articles for prominent members of the profession.

2. Initiate contact

   • Contact the person by phone, email or letter (see Sample Contact Letter.pdf).
   • Mention how you got his or her name.
   • Emphasize that you are looking for information, not a job.
   • Ask for a convenient time to have a 20-30 minute appointment.

      

   Sample Telephone Script Requesting An Informational Interview Hello. My name is Jane Wilson and I'm a junior majoring in English at The University of Texas as Tyler. I heard you speak at an event sponsored by Students in Free Enterprise last semester. Although I am not currently looking for a job, I have become very interested in public relations and would like to find out as much as I can about the field. Would it be possible to schedule 20 or 30 minutes with you at your convenience to ask you a few questions and get your advice on how best to prepare to enter the field?

3. Prepare for the interview

   • Do some initial research on the career field and/or employer.
• Plan to ask open-ended (see Questions to Ask in an Informational Interview.pdf).
• Develop a 15 to 30-second overview of yourself, including your reasons for contacting this person, as a way to introduce yourself and define the context of the meeting.
  • Reinforce the sample telephone script above.

 

4. Conduct the informational interview

   • Dress neatly and appropriately as you would for a job interview.
   • Restate that your objective is to get information and advice, not a job.
   • Listen well and be genuinely interested in what the person has to say.
   • Taking notes is encouraged.
   • Respect the person's time. Keep the appointment length within the time span that you requested.
   • Always ask for names of other people to talk to for additional information or a different perspective.

 

5. Follow-up

• Keep records. (See Networking Contact Log.doc)
  • Right after the interview write down what you learned (including the suggestions or advice given to you), what more you'd like to know and your reactions in terms of how this industry, field or position would "fit" with your lifestyle, interests, skills and future career plans.
• Send a thank-you note within 1-2 days to express your appreciation for the time and information given. Based on your assessment of the nature of your informational interview, whether informal or more businesslike, this may be a brief handwritten note or a business letter (see Sample Thank You Letter.pdf).
• Keep in touch with the person; let him or her know that you followed up on their advice and how things are going as a result. This relationship could become an important part of your network.

 

Additonal articles on Networking can be found in the Career Resource Library.

Career Advisors is available to assist you. To make an appointment, contact us at careersvc@uttyler.edu or at 903-565-5862.