Information interviews help you to:
- get information about employment opportunities and job roles
- gather first-hand knowledge about an occupation or industry
- make valuable contacts
- understand the skills or qualifications needed for different positions.
You can arrange an information interview with anyone you believe will help you. You may have met the interviewee at an event, been referred to them by someone else, or found them through a search.
Here are four key steps to help you get the most out of information interviews.
1. Set goals
Think about what you want to find out. You may want to:
- seek advice for entering the industry
- learn about career pathways
- learn about job requirements and tasks
- find out about organisations and how they work.
2. Prepare questions
Once you have arranged to meet an employer or someone with industry knowledge, you can begin writing a list of questions.
These questions can relate to:
- jobs, skills and tasks, e.g. ‘Could you describe for me what a normal day in your job is like?’
- qualifications and training, e.g. ‘What qualifications do you need to enter your occupation?’ or ‘Does your employer provide any training?’
- organisation information, e.g. ‘How would you describe the culture at your place of work?’
- job opportunities and availability, e.g. ‘Is there a particular time of year when your organisation recruits?’
- volunteer work experience, e.g. ‘Would an applicant with experience in a specific field be considered?’
- professional development, e.g. ‘What can I read or watch to keep up with developments in your field?’
Aim to ask open-ended and relevant questions. Open-ended questions will ensure the interviewee provides detailed responses, not just a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. There are many networking articles online. Search them for tips and ideas for questions to ask if you get stuck.
3. Make the most of an interview
Get the most out of an information interview by following these etiquette guidelines:
- Be on time and don’t go over the agreed time.
- Introduce yourself and state your purpose – refer to your goals from Step 1.
- Thank them for being there.
- Restate the reason for your interview and answer their questions.
- Ask specific and relevant questions. Show them that you’ve taken time to research them and/or the organisation.
- Be confident and speak clearly.
- Make eye contact and smile. Be aware of your posture and body language. Be friendly, but business like.
- Listen carefully to their answers and take notes.
- At the end of the interview, genuinely thank them for their time. Do this even if you didn’t get the information you had hoped for. Perhaps tell them something you found particularly interesting. If it feels appropriate, ask them if they could recommend anyone else you could speak to.
Both job interviews and information interviews should be treated as formal meetings. You should dress and speak as if you were in a job interview and prepare for the unexpected.
Show your enthusiasm and an interest in the industry or specific job role. Doing this will help you gather more information on an organisation. It could even result in a referral to someone with an available position.
4. Follow up
Send a follow up email thanking the interviewee for their time. You could ask whether you can connect on LinkedInThis link will open in a new window. Note how helpful the interview was and what you plan to do next, as the person has volunteered their time to help you and will be interested to see how you may apply their advice to your career.
Following up also involves a personal look-back at all the information from the interview. You can go on to plan your next information interview, job search, or course application.
