James Rodrigues
What Questions To Ask On An Informational Interview – Informational interviews are key to growing your network and opening you up to unexpected job opportunities. Here are 40+ questions to ask in your informational interview.
But it’s an opportunity to meet people you admire (or work with) and hear their stories.
What Questions To Ask On An Informational Interview
Informational interviews are a great way to get a better understanding of a business, profession or position to decide if it’s right for you.
Exploring Career Through Informational Interviews
Author John Lees in the Harvard Business Review points out that informational interviews can be beneficial in many ways. They provide a way to “test assumptions about your understanding of the situation or organization,” he says.
In addition, he added, they offer “a way to make yourself known in the secret job market … the kind of popularity that can get you on the short list, even if the job is not advertised.” work” – or if you. not proactively looking for work.
In other words, if done correctly, an informational interview can help you learn, but it can also help you increase your professional network (yes, many people have received job offers because they took them to an informational questionnaire). So we are talking about a win-win situation here.
But if someone agrees to meet you for coffee, what questions should you ask to find out? You should be prepared if someone agrees to join you.
The Best And Worst Questions To Ask During An Informational Interview
Below, we explain in detail how to prepare. We cover everything from contacting the person you want to interview to closing the process with a thank you note.
Plus, we’ve rounded up 15 of our favorite interview questions, along with some tips for writing personalized questions for every interview. As an added bonus we’ve added some extra questions for you to ask when dating!
If you are interested in conducting informational interviews but are worried about how to get started, here are our suggestions. For more details on what to do, we’ve outlined a five-step process (including a cold email template) here.
If you’re reading this, there’s probably someone you’d like to interview. If you want to find someone to expand your network or learn about a position you’re interested in, start with research.
Questions To Ask During An Informational Interview
Find your “dream” company and read the job title carefully. Then, do a quick internet search (we recommend searching through LinkedIn and Twitter) to learn more about the person’s career path.
This is scary, but don’t worry – we have an example. Now that you have thoroughly researched your interviewer, you should have some information that you can use to explain why you want to meet with them for an interview. This makes cold emailing more personal and increases the likelihood of taking the time to connect.
Likewise, when you talk to this person, your language should be simple. Let’s say he’s busy and knows he’s doing you a favor by taking the time to see you. (And record the time during the interview.)
Don’t go into this meeting unprepared. This can give a bad impression and you want to make a good first impression here.
Great Questions For An Informational Interview
But before the interview, find out the learning objectives for that semester. The research you do with these people will help you listen to their experiences.
This brings us to our last point. Prepare interview questions ahead of time so you can keep the meeting on target, come across as professional and show your interviewer that you’ve done your homework. For that, let’s prepare these questions.
Regardless of business or profession, here are some common questions to ask. Just do some research on what they do ahead of time to make sure it’s relevant to the person.
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Tip: John Liss says, don’t treat the interviewer like you’re “looking at them.” We agree: Use these questions to guide the conversation, but try not to abuse them.
Informational Interview Questions And Reflection Sheet
An informational interview is about them, not you, so that’s the best place to start. This will set the tone; let them know that you are here to teach them.
Why ask this question: By asking this question, you can understand the person’s business background. Whether you want a job or something similar, the answers can help you find your way into the situation. For example, if he says he’s teaching a specific skill that you don’t know about, you might consider looking into it.
What to look for in an answer: When you think you’re interested in a role or company, look for ways you can emulate its business approach. His educational path, career path and other stories can help you decide the best way forward for you. If it says you need professional development tips related to the position (such as a degree, certification, or specific skills), write them down.
You should ask a follow-up question: What did you learn there that will help you today? These questions should help you understand where to start if you’re new to the field, but it’s a great way to see how linear (or linear) this career path is. Canada.
Informational Interview Questions That You Need To Ask
Why you are asking this question: If you are doing this informational question, you are looking to change to a new business or start your own business. Either way, you can learn a lot from this person’s previous work experience.
What to look for in the answers: Listen to the advice about what helped him to win his role now. Then, think about starting your own business (or starting one) and whether it will lead you to your desired role.
This is your chance to see what your day will look like in the situation you want. If he says he’s working 14 hours a day and you’re not interested in that, then you can start looking for another job.
Why this question is asked: Your career is a big part of your life, and how you enjoy it can directly affect your overall happiness. We believe that your work doesn’t have to be far away, but you really want to love what you spend so much time doing.
Informational Interview Guide
Things to consider in your answer: Think about your thoughts about your future life. If the 14-hour workday seems like a killer to you, now you know. On the other hand, if this is something that interests you, you know what to expect and start doing it.
Projects can be interesting, so you want to know what he is doing. Also, it gives you a better idea of the company’s status and priorities.
Why ask this question: This question may talk at length about his current work and its nuances. From these questions, you will learn the details about his company and his role, and you will know what the real life project is for that role.
Things to look for in the answer: Is the project he described interesting? Is the group setting he recommended a good fit for your skills and personality? You’ll get a better idea of the actual job, which will help you decide if it’s right for you.
Quiz & Worksheet
Although this question is similar to #4, the answer is probably no. This person’s level of passion for work may not be expected. This is a good way to open it.
Why you’re asking this question: Like the previous questions, this question gives you an opportunity to get a better understanding of the ins and outs of the position or business.
What to look for in the answers: Listen to what you really like. If they say they like the flexibility of their role and a flexible working environment is important to you, then great! If they say they want a group environment, and you know you’re growing in a controlled environment, then you get the message.
After all, an informational interview is a formal conversation. However, if the person starts to avoid talking about what he likes the most (“I really like everything I do”), you can change the question something to surprise him. Most people have an answer for this.
Information Technology (it) Job Interview Questions
Why are you asking this question: You want to learn about the position, profession or business you want, despite (or maybe!) its limitations. That way, you know what it’s like and can move on without the rose colored glasses.
What to look for in the answer: Honesty! Even if he refuses to mention the bad things about the company or the company, he can tell you something that he finds difficult or surprising. You may take this information and use it as you see fit.
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