James Rodrigues
Questions To Ask On An Informational Interview – Complete your next informational interview by following these 5 steps and using an easy-to-use informational interview request template. All you have to do is copy + paste!
We like informational interviews here because it’s the best way to get a clear picture of the company (or job) you’re interested in.
Questions To Ask On An Informational Interview
Our founder, Lauren McGoodwin, also happens to have made a career out of recruiting. Over the course of nine months, he contacted 70 people for informational interviews, and 30 of them came back to him. He finally landed his dream job with Hulu through one of these professional connections.
Five Proven Informational Interview Email Templates
When we first wrote this article, we thought we could use our in-house experts. Without further ado, here’s Lauren’s 5-step guide to doing the perfect informational interview every time. Because, even if they are not intended to directly ask for a job, informational interviews often open the door to new opportunities.
There are many ways to find people who can be contacted during informational interviews (we recommend starting by making a list of dream companies and potential positions, then searching for names on LinkedIn), but after you find the perfect person for the interview, you also need to convince them that it is worth spending time on them.
Lauren recommends checking their work history, education, and previous awards or certifications on LinkedIn, but also look for them on Google to see if they have been interviewed or recommended online, and see if they have a bio on their company’s team page. Another great resource. When you email them, use one or two of these little things to explain why you want to meet them.
What information do you expect from this interview? “Too often people say, ‘I just want to ask you where you started,’ says Lauren. “But why? What is important to you?”
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Before you contact anyone for an informational interview, sit down and make a list of three or four goals for yourself. Then, every time someone agrees to talk to you, make a list of specific goals for that meeting. Everyone’s career is different, so you should take advantage of their experience by adjusting your learning goals based on the research you did in the first step.
Don’t come without them and ask questions you’ve already answered online (this is one of Lauren’s most informative animal interviews). Luckily, we’ve compiled our favorite informative interview questions for you, although you’ll also want to write some custom questions based on your research.
Lauren suggests calling instead of a face-to-face date because it requires less energy from other people. While an informational interview over the phone can really take 20 minutes, asking someone to engage over coffee takes a long time. Think of it this way, which option do you agree with more?
You should send a thank you email just like any other form of interview. And no, the news interview doesn’t end here. Every three to four months, whether you’re actively looking for a job or just want to stay in touch, contact us for a check-in via email or LinkedIn.
Great Questions For An Informational Interview
I hope this message finds you. My name is [NAME] and I am contacting you today because I read about your career and work in [SPECIALTY OR PROJECT you studied during your research] and I hope to learn something. More. Would you be willing to jump on the phone for 20 minutes to discuss your career so far and some insight into your industry?
If you are open to ideas, I can talk on the phone several times in the next two weeks:
Let me know if any of these dates and times work for you and a good number to contact you and I’ll send you a calendar invite!
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What Questions To Ask In An Informational Interview?
By clicking “send”, you agree to receive emails from Career Contessa and accept our terms of use and privacy policy. Here are over 40 questions you should ask on your next information call.
Instead, it’s an opportunity to meet someone you admire (or someone you admire) to hear their story.
Think about them. Informational interviews are a great way to get a clear picture of an industry, company or position to determine if it’s a good fit for you.
Writer John Lees noted in the Harvard Business Review that informational interviews are beneficial in several ways. He says they provide a way to “test your assumptions” about understanding the job or company.
Sample Questions To Ask During An Informational Interview
Plus, he adds, they offer “a way to enter the hidden job market … Visibility can put you on the shortlist even if the job isn’t advertised” — or if you’re not actively looking for a job.
This means that the informational interview, if carried out correctly, will help you learn, but will also help you expand your professional network (and yes, many people have received job offers through informational interviews). So we are talking about a win-win situation here.
But once someone agrees to meet you for coffee, what questions should you ask during an informational interview? If someone has agreed to meet you, you really want to come prepared.
We have explained exactly how to prepare below. We cover everything from reaching out to people who want to interview, to the end of the process with a thank you letter.
Great Informational Interview Questions To Choose From
Plus, we’ve rounded up 15 of our favorite informative interview questions, along with some tips for writing personal questions for each interview. And the added bonus is that we have added some additional questions for you to ask if you really like each other at the end!
If you are interested in doing informational interviews but feel intimidated about how to get started, here are our tips. For more details on what to do, we’ve explained the five-step process (and a cool email template) here.
If you’re reading this, you probably have someone you want to interview in mind. If you’re hoping to find someone to expand your network or find out about a role you’re interested in, start by researching.
Find your “dream” company and read their job titles. Then do a quick internet search (we recommend LinkedIn and Twitter searches) to learn more about the person’s career.
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This can be part of bullying, but don’t stress – we have a model for that. Now that you’ve researched the interviewer, you should have some information you can use when explaining why you’re interested. meet him for an informational interview. This makes the cold email feel more personal and makes it more likely that he will want to take the time to meet.
Similarly, when communicating with this person, be sure to be brief. Assume that he is busy and realize that he is helping you by taking the time to meet you. (And track your time in the interview itself.)
Don’t go to this meeting unprepared. It will look professional, and this is where you want to make a good first impression.
Instead, before the interview, determine the learning objectives for the particular meeting. Your research about this person should help you tune in to their experience.
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This brings us to the last point. Prepare your interview questions in advance so you can keep the interview objective, sound professional, and show off your interviewer.
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