One of the easiest and most effective ways to meet people in a professional field in which you are interested is to conduct informational intervies. Informations interviewing is a networking approach which allows tyou to meet key professionals, gather career information, investigate career options, get advice on job search techniques and get referrals to other professionals.
 The art of informational interviewing is in knowing how to balance your sometimes hidden agenda (to locate a job) with the unique opportunity to lean firsthand about the demands of your field. Thus, never abuse your privilege by asking for a job, but execute your informational interviews skillfully and a job may follow. Remember that as amny as none out of 10 jobs come from word of mouth contacts!
The number one goal of informational interviews is to:
Collect information about a job, career or organization that interest you.

But informational interviews can serve four additional puposes:

Expand your network
Develop self confidence in talking about yourself, your skills and your chosen field
Create job interviews
Find hidden job markets

What motivates professionals to grant informational interviews?
The reasons are varied. Generally, most people enjoy sharing information about themselves and their jobs and particularly, love giving advice. Some may simply believe in encouraging newcomers to their profession and others may be scoping out prospects for anticipated vacancies. It is common for professionals to exchange favors and information, so donít hesititate to call upon people.

How do you set up informational interviews?

One possible approach is to send a letter requestiong a brief informational interview (clearly with the purpose of the meeting and communicating the fact that there is no job expectation). Follow this up with a phone call to schedule an appointment.  Or, initiate a contact by making cold calls and st up an appointment. The best way to obtain an informational interview is by being referred from one professional to another, a process which becomes easier as your network expands.

How do you prepare for informational interviews?

Prepare for you informational interview just as you would for an actaul job interview; polish your presentation and listening skills and conduct preliminary research on the organization. You should outline an agenda that includes well thought out questions.
 Begin your interview with questions that demonstrate your genuine interest in the other person such as ìDescribe a typical day for you in your department.î Then proceed with more general questions such as ìWhat are the employment prospects in this field?î or ìAre you active in any professional organizaitons in our field and which would you recommend?î If appropriate, venture into a series of questions which place the employer in the advice-giving role such as,îWhat should the most important consideration be in my first job?î The whole idea is for you to shine, to make an impression and to get referrals to other professionals.
 Always remember to send a thank you letter to every perosn who grants to time and to every individual who refers you to someone

More Questions to Ask
Please tell me your career history. Is this a typical advancement path for people in this field? What are some of the different ways people come to work in this career?
To be successful in your job/career what qualities should an individual ossess? What traps should be avoided?
What other careers are related to your work?
Having heard a description of my background, what do you think I could do to better prepare myself to be successful in this career?
Would you make the same career choice if you had it to do all over again? Why or why not?
What would you look for when hiring someone? Describe a successful employee's educational and employment background, personality, outlook, etc.
Do backgrounds vary for people in this position?

Who To Contact
People you know
Former employers, supervisors
Friends and Neighbors
Alumni
Yellow Pages
Associations and Organizations
Public Libraries
Magazines and Business Newspapers
Internet

Back to C.A.T.S. Career Development Page
 

For more about infomational interviewing see Becky in McKale 109A

Thank you to The University of Arizona Career Services.