What is an informational interview?
An informational interview is a chance to learn about a specific job, industry, or organization. You’re not pimping your resume or asking for a job or a connection (if you do this you’re doing it wrong). Basically, you’re sitting down over coffee and having a chill conversation with someone about their career or industry, so you can get some helpful information about navigating your career.
You'll want to do an informational interview with someone who is doing interesting work you're curious about. The point is to gather information (hence the name) so you can make well-informed career decisions. It’s a great way to learn about breaking into a particular industry, growing in your current one, or just looking at your options.
Informational interviews are especially important if you’re not quite sure what kind of work you want to pursue. It’s your chance to feel things out before you decide to quit your job, pursue a particular career path, or potentially get more training.
If you’re using an informational interview to suss out your options, one of two things might happen:
1) You get confirmation that the path you’re going down seems to be a good fit. You like what you hear about this industry or company and your skills and interests match up.
2) You learn about some red flags and dodge a bullet. The industry or company you’re learning about is nothing like you thought it was. It’s not actually what you want and you’re glad you found that out now.
Both of these outcomes are great, by the way. It's always better to know what you're getting into before you jump.
Creep people on LinkedIn, check your Twitter feed, look up the staff directories of the cool companies you want to learn about. It’s even better if you have a friend who can introduce you to someone you want to speak with. If so, the likelihood of the person actually saying yes goes up exponentially.
Once you know who you want to talk to, keep your request short and sweet. In your email you want to:
Your email might look something like this:
Subject: Interested in your work
From: You
To: coolperson@letschat.com
Hi Coolperson (use their name, obvs),
I’m currently working in __________ (say what kind of work you’re doing now), but I’m thinking about developing my career in the area of __________, specifically __________. I’m not looking for a job or connection, but I’m very interested in learning more about your field of work, and especially your own experience with __________ (say their industry or something they’re working on). Would you be willing to chat for 30 minutes? Coffee is on me, and of course I’m happy to work around your schedule at whatever location is best for you. Let me know what you think.
Sincerely,
Your Name
BOOM. That’s what a winning informational interview request looks like.
Notice three important things here:
Side note: If you don’t know exactly what kind of work you want to do, no probelmo. Just say that. Or if you’re not working, just say that. Or if you’re still a student, just say that. I hope you’re noticing that the point isn’t to impress someone; it’s to gather information.
Not everyone you ask for an informational interview will say yes. In fact, you'll probably only get a yes from 1 out of every 4 or 5 requests. That’s understandable. People are busy. Don't take it personally.
Some people won’t even respond to your email. If you get crickets, give it a week and then send a polite follow-up. Maybe their silence means no, but maybe they just forgot about you in the inbox shuffle.
Preparing for your meeting
Once you've sent out your requests and booked a couple of meetings, it's time to prepare for those conversations. Here's how to prepare for your informational interview.
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