You are sitting across the table from someone when the conversation hits a standstill. You try to fill in the silence but are so nervous that you’re having trouble coming up with new discussion topics. Your chance of making a good first impression during this informational interview is dwindling. And here’s the thing: It totally could have been avoided if you had prepared in advance.
An informational interview is different than a job interview. The goal of an informational interview is to talk to someone to find out more about their career path, industry, and advice. The name says it all: You are looking for information that can provide clarity for your career path and job search, not a job. You’re not being interviewed for a role, but first impressions still matter. Who knows, maybe the person you are speaking to has a great aunt who has a daughter who has a best friend who works at your dream company.
Your first step is to know what you want to achieve by the end of the meeting. “Go in with a clear goal. Do you want to work at the person’s company? Do a similar job? Break into the interviewer’s industry? Ask questions that are aimed at achieving whatever goal you might have,” says Evan Intrater, a senior technical recruiter at the New York-based human resources company, Namely.
Do your research:
Don’t walk in without knowing about the company, industry, and the person you’re meeting. You don’t want to mention anything too personal like mentioning that you have the same favorite brand, also have a toy poodle, or love that restaurant they went to on Thursday. But you want to show that you learned about their career path, company, and the industry.
Check out the company’s website, social media, and recent press, recommends Tiffany Dyba, a New York City-based career coach and consultant. She also recommends looking at the person’s LinkedIn page to learn about their background. “This is especially helpful if you are making an industry change and you are interested in breaking into a certain company or field,” says Dyba. If you see that he previously worked in law and made the switch to journalism, you can ask him how he made the transition and his recommendation for you. If you see that she worked in large corporate companies and then switched to startups, you could find out why she made the switch and what she likes and dislikes about both. The point is to learn about the person, company, and industry so you know informed questions to ask to get the info that will be helpful as you navigate your career.
Come up with questions to ask:
Figure out what you want to learn and ask questions that will get you the answers. “This is where most people fall. They’ll say ‘Thanks for talking to me! I think your background is really interesting,’ but they have nothing to ask and are just hoping for breadcrumbs of wisdom,” says Nancy Halpern, a New York-based career coach. “People want to help you, but you have to make it easy for them by having specific asks,” Halpern adds.
So what should you ask? We’ve got some expert-recommended questions to get you started.
To learn about company culture: Intrater suggests asking about their company’s values. “Many companies make these public but ask the interviewer to tell you more about them to understand what kind of work environment the company offers. Only an employee can give you an honest perspective of how well these values are carried out in reality. This is a smart way to get at the heart of a company’s culture,” he says.
To learn about the industry: Halpern recommends asking questions that help you discover whether you’ll like the day-to-day and other paths you could consider taking. Find out what they like and dislike about the company, role, and industry, what they are responsible for, and what the average workday looks like for them. She also suggests asking them what other career paths they considered and how they came to their decision.
To learn what makes someone successful: Dyba says you should dig into what makes someone successful in the specific position and the industry at large. Find out the skills that make someone successful so you know if you’ve got them or if there are skills you should learn to be a better candidate.
To learn other people to meet: Intrater recommends asking the person if they know another company or person they suggest you talk to to learn more about the field. “This informational interview can be the window into another conversation. Leverage the interviewer’s network. Asking for just one connection makes it an easy ask and lessens the burden on the interviewer,” he suggests.
Know what you bring to the table:
Don’t just prepare your questions and learn about the other person; know what you literally and metaphorically bring to the table. “Practice your elevator pitch for your introduction and practice answering questions before the meeting. Be succinct and focused,” says Tammy Perkins, chief people officer and managing partner at the Washington-based marketing consulting firm, Fjuri. She also recommends bringing copies of your resume in case they ask for it and a notepad to jot down what you’ve learned and make it easier to write a thoughtful thank you note.
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