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.