Information Interviews

An information or research interview is a meeting in which you talk to people who are employed in a job of interest to you in order to:

Obtain information that will help you to understand the realities of the field. YOU ARE NOT ASKING FOR A JOB!
Expand the number of your contacts. Your contact person may be referred by a friend or colleague or identified by a receptionist at an organization you have contacted. This person may or may not have hiring power within the organization.
Learn the process(es) of taking control in job seeking. You will be conducting the interview.

How Can it Help You?

This technique provides many benefits:

It can sharpen your perception of the career or job that you have been considering.
You can discover what skills are required for certain jobs and match them with your own abilities and strengths.
You can gain greater confidence in your interviewing skills since you direct the interviews with professionals.
It provides the opportunity for you to expand your network of professional contacts
You can view people at work and find out how they feel about their jobs and what types of lifestyle surround their careers.
The low-pressure situation allows you to make a good impression with the person with whom you interview.
You may obtain forthright advice about a profession or industry that you will never read in a book.

How Do You Arrange an Information Interview?

Contact organizations that employ people with career interests similar to yours. If you are unaware of agencies, organizations, or companies that employ people who are doing jobs that interest you, resources like Voyager alumni search and using the internet will help you identify specific places to contact. Lawrence alumni often are very willing to participate in an information interview. Basically, there are four ways of making contacts:

Telephoning
Writing an e-mail/letter
Dropping by without an appointment
By referral - Either have someone who knows the contact make the appointment for you or mention that "_________ suggested that I contact you to see whether you would speak to me."

Whichever means of contacting you choose, make sure that you explain the purpose of requesting an interview. Remember, it is for information as you investigate a particular field. Emphasize that YOU ARE NOT LOOKING FOR A JOB! You only want information. You are interested in that field. Indicate that you would like to speak for approximately 20 or 30 minutes with a person in the area of particular interest to you. Don't be surprised if the interview lasts an hour. People like to be helpful and enjoy talking about themselves. Allow at least one hour between interviews. Frequently, they last longer than you expect and travel time must be figured.

What questions should you ask?

Since you are interviewing for information only, use this opportunity to learn as much as you can about particular occupations. You may want to ask, modify, or add to the following questions:

What do you do on a typical day?
What skills do you use most often?
What is most satisfying about your work?
What are the biggest frustrations?
What made you decide upon this career? Is the career as you expected? How does it differ?
What courses, training, and experience have been most helpful to you in your present work? What do you feel is the best preparation for this kind of work?
How does your work combine with your personal life?
How much flexibility do you have in terms of dress, hours of work, vacation schedule, place of residence, etc.?
How well suited is my background for this type of work?
Is there an opportunity to obtain a summer job or internship in this field? Where?
Where would you suggest that I look for job vacancies in this field?
What job titles should I be looking for?
What is the salary range for entry-level positions?
In what ways does this position require the use of specific skills?
What types of training do organizations give to persons entering this field?
What special advice would you give to a young person entering this field?
Is there a demand for people in this field?
Do you view this field as a growing one?
Can you recommend others I should contact regarding this type of work? May I use your name when contacting them?

How do you address questions from the resource person?

The person whom you are interviewing may want to know something about you as well as share information about her/himself. She/he may even tell you of job openings or inquire as to whether or not you are interested in hearing of any. How you answer will depend on how far along you are in your job search. You may or may not be ready to commit yourself to a particular occupational field. In any case, try to keep options open for yourself and respond accordingly.

What should you do following the information interview?

Send a thank you letter. A thank you letter will help you be remembered in a positive way by the contact person.
At a later date, you might want to send a letter expressing interest in working for her/him, recall your information interview, and enclose a copy of your resume.
Or, you may want to call or e-mail the contact person, remind her/him of your information interview and inquire about employment opportunities.

Information Interviewing Tips

Emphasize that you ARE NOT LOOKING FOR A JOB. YOU ONLY WANT INFORMATION.
Avoid personnel offices unless you are looking for a job in that field.
It is a good idea to research the occupational field and organizations prior to conducting information interviews.
Prepare questions prior to information interviewing.
Dress as if you were interviewing for a job. Women should wear dresses or suits, men should wear jackets and ties.
Bring resumes.
Take notes sparingly. Make notes following the discussion.
Compile a notebook with the questions asked and responses received.
Keep a list of the people with whom you talk and their job titles, employers, addresses, and phone numbers.
Ask who else you should contact for information. Record the names and addresses of people to whom you were referred.
Write thank you letters.
Make a good impression. You never know when this contact may lead to a job opportunity.
Information interviewing can be informative and enjoyable!

Thank-you letters

This is an essential piece of the job search and can play a significant role in the hiring process. The thank-you letter is significant to effective interview follow-up! After any interview (informational, full-time employment, graduate school, internship, or summer job) it is extremely important to send a thank you letter to the person(s) with whom you interviewed. If this is not feasible, then send a thank you to your interview ‘host’ or to the highest ranking manager you met with, and include a request to extend your thanks to the entire group. When used to follow up on employment interviews, thank you letters should be sent within 24 hours to everyone who interviewed you. In your thank you letter, you should:

Hand-write (neatly and on professional appearing stationary), type up and send in the mail, or email.
- Hand-written letters may be more fitting for an organization in which you made a very close connection; while a typed or emailed thank you tends to work better for a conservative organization or if you have poor handwriting.

Also, don’t forget to send a thank you to those with whom you have had informational interviews as well as those individuals who serve as your references.