My Approach to the Informational Interview

The informational interview is a powerful tool. It's a great way to learn about new industries, expand your professional network, and gain an advantage when applying to jobs. There are several approaches to preparing for the meeting and obtaining information during the meeting.

My method is straight forward and works well over the phone. It can be completed in as little as 15 minutes or could lead to an hour long conversation. When talking to business people I ask the same five questions, tailoring them depending on the industry.

1. Tell me about your experiences within this industry.
2. Walk me through your career path leading to your current role.
3. Tell me about your company's culture, turnover, and employee career path's.
4. Tell me about your company's hiring practices.
5. If I apply with your company, can I use you as a referral?

I prefer this method over talking about industry strategy, trends, and news. In my experience, if you're talking with an employee that is neither HR nor a hiring manager, this method works well. You can prepare beforehand by reading about the industry, researching the company, and knowing the background of the person you'll be talking to. You should be able to speak intelligently about both the industry and the company. However, I'll use these discussion points as additional information weaved throughout the conversation, and not as the focus of the call.

This method can be tailored for informational interviews with either HR or hiring managers, as well. For HR, I'll lead with questions about career paths and hiring practices. Additional questions will cover candidate competencies and team dynamics. For hiring managers, I'll lead with industry and role questions, then move into strategy and headlines. When meeting with a potential boss or supervisor it's always good to show that you know about the business at hand.

The Power of Referrals

I'm a sucker for numbers and stats. I'm pretty sure the pseudo-obsession comes from reading the sports page as a child (thank you Dad). That being said, I'm convinced that the majority of job hunting is a numbers game. Apply for "x" amount of jobs and receive "y" amount of interviews based on your qualifications.

I've been looking within the Bay Area since February, at times taking breaks from the search to concentrate on school. Since graduation, I have been actively applying on a daily basis. Here's a breakdown of the numbers.

As you can see, I've applied for 130 plus jobs which have resulted in 16 phone interviews. So I'm getting an interview for every one in eight jobs I apply to, about 12.5 percent. From the phone I've managed to set six onsite interviews with hiring managers. A little better than one in three, or 37.5 percent of the time.

Now let's look at the power of referrals. I've contacted 77 professionals and have scheduled 38 informational interviews. Of the 38 meetings, I've managed to get 26 application referrals, which yielded ten interviews. So, when applying with a referral I increase my odds of getting an interview to one in 2.6, or sightly better than 38 percent.

For sake of argument, lets assume I was able to establish a referral for all 130 job applications. I would have received approximately 50 phone interviews and 19 onsite interviews.

Moral of the story: referrals will increase your odds, get you on the phone with more HR departments, and will increase your chances of getting in front of hiring managers.

RFID: An Emerging Technology

In the spring of 2009 I wrote a paper with three other classmates about Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). This paper outlined a brief history and the emergence of this technology, additionally we discussed current / future uses (human implants) and some of the ethical issues surrounding RFID tags.

If you're a tech geek or you just want to consider / debate the ethics of planting tracking devices in humans, you should give the paper a read. Would you consider having a microchip placed into your forearm to receive VIP treatment and table service at your favorite swanky club? Or, would you have your medical records implanted in case of an emergency?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PAPER

Emerging Technology - RFID & Human Tracking

View more presentations from Christopher Serio.

Weekly Wrap-Up: July 23

This week I identified and applied to 17 different positions, a bit below my average weekly total. The majority were through either LinkedIn or Craigslist, both very useful resources and becoming more utilized by HR personnel... or, at least more so than the month of June. Again, the lion's share of my application were within online marketing, either on the agency side or client side. Check out my pie:

Also received a call from a recruiter looking to place a contract project manager, a very welcome surprise and excellent opportunity. Had a couple follow-ups and informational meetings this week. Specifically, one within search marketing and a rescheduled one within retail.

Cast a wide net and keep your applications focused. That's been my game plan as of late. This week was heavy on project management, search marketing, and business development. In my opinion, industries can vary, but the roles / applicable experience do not change much.

Talk to you on Monday!

Applications by Industry - 2010 to Date

So, I know what you're thinking. He's gone off the deep end. No more postings providing a brief summary of his academic and professional writings. Now he's just offering us pie... this isn't just any pie. This pie chart represents the industry breakdown (by percentage) of the 115 plus jobs I've applied for. Yes, I keep track through an Excel workbook just for moments like these.

Now that you've seen this chart I want to you consider my process, my interests, and the industries I've applied within. Keep in mind, everything I've applied to has been within the marketing space. Industries have varied, but all jobs have been marketing, brand management, or product management centric.

My blog will be taking on a slightly different face until my career search has concluded. I intend on posting each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. My Monday posts will consist of my weekly forecast, projections for what I plan to accomplish. Wednesday will have the usual academic and or professional writing sample available for download. Friday will offer a recap of the week and will give you another pie chart to learn, study, and love.

Talk to you on Friday for this weeks recap! No pie though... don't want to overload your senses.

International Business - A Profile of India

In the spring of 2009 I worked with a group writing and researching business practices within India. This paper discuss aspects of religion, demographics, intellectual property, and other cultural economics.

To recruiters or other professionals, this should give you a great sample of my writing as well as market research capabilities.

Enjoy!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD PAPER

Doing Business in India

View more presentations from Christopher Serio.

Financial Regulations - GAAP vs. IFRS

Throughout my MBA experience I considered myself to be a financially minded marketing professional. I'm an analytical person and breakdown tasks as logically as possible.

The link below leads to a paper I wrote with several of my classmates. We worked together in a financial reporting class and researched the SEC's roadmap for transitioning from "Generally Accepted Accounting Principles" (GAAP) to "International Financial Reporting Standards" (IFRS).

This paper outlines the decision, compares the two reporting methods, and discusses potential impacts to American businesses in a global marketplace.

Please click here to view and download.

Stone Creek Wines - Expansion to Japanese Marketplace

In the spring of 2009 I researched and wrote a marketing report for a small winery in Lodi, California called Stone Creek. The report discusses an expansion strategy for the winery to enter the Japanese wine market. The analysis includes a promotional mix, pricing strategy, advertising methods, distribution channels, and product adaptions for Japanese consumers.

This paper was part of a group project for a global marketing course. Please see below to access the full paper and associated Power Point presentation.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD PAPER

Stone Creek Wine - Japanese Marketplace

View more presentations from Christopher Serio.