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Career Services
Informational
Interviewing
One of the best sources for gathering information about what's
happening in an occupation or an industry is to talk to people
working in the field. This process is called informational
or research interviewing. An informational interview is
an interview that you
initiate - you ask the questions. The purpose is to obtain
information, not to get a job.
Following are some
good REASONS TO CONDUCT INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS:
- to explore careers and clarify your career
goals
- to discover employment opportunities that
are not advertised
- to expand your professional network
- to build confidence for your job
interviews
- to access the most up-to-date career
information
- to identify your professional strengths
and weaknesses
Listed below are STEPS
TO FOLLOW TO CONDUCT AN INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW:
-
Identify the Occupation or
Industry You Wish to Learn About
Assess your own
interests, abilities, values, and skills, and evaluate labor
conditions and trends to identify the best fields to research.
-
Prepare for the Interview
Read all you can about the field prior to the interview.
Decide what information you would like to obtain about the
occupation/industry. Prepare a list of questions that you would
like to have answered.
-
Identify People to Interview
Start with lists of people you already know - friends,
relatives, fellow students, present or former co-workers,
supervisors, neighbors, etc... Professional organizations, the
yellow pages, organizational directories, and public speakers are
also good resources. You may also call an organization and ask for
the name of the person by job title.
-
Arrange the Interview
Contact the person to set up an interview:
- by telephone,
- by a letter followed by a telephone
call, or
- by having someone who knows the person
make the appointment for you.
- Conduct the Interview
Dress appropriately, arrive on time, be polite and
professional. Refer to your list of prepared questions; stay on
track, but allow for spontaneous discussion. Before leaving, ask
your contact to suggest names of others who might be helpful to
you and ask permission to use your contact's name when contacting
these new contacts.
- Follow Up
Immediately following the interview, record the
information gathered. Be sure to send a thank-you note to your
contact within one week of the interview.
20 QUESTIONS!
Prepare a list of your own questions for your informational
interview. Following are some sample questions:
- On a typical day in this position, what do
you do?
- What training or education is required for
this type of work?
- What personal qualities or abilities are
important to being successful in this job?
- What part of this job do you find most
satisfying? most challenging?
- How did you get your job?
- What opportunities for advancement are
there in this field?
- What entry level jobs are best for
learning as much as possible?
- What are the salary ranges for various
levels in this field?
- How do you see jobs in this field changing
in the future?
- Is there a demand for people in this
occupation?
- What special advice would you give a
person entering this field?
- What types of training do companies offer
persons entering this field?
- What are the basic prerequisites for jobs
in this field?
- Which professional journals and
organizations would help me learn more about this field?
- What do you think of the experience I've
had so far in terms of entering this field?
- From your perspective, what are the
problems you see working in this field?
- If you could do things all over again,
would you choose the same path for yourself? Why? What would you
change?
- With the information you have about my
education, skills, and experience, what other fields or jobs
would you suggest I research further before I make a final
decision?
- What do you think of my resume? Do you see
any problem areas? How would you suggest I change it?
- Who do you know that I should talk to
next? When I call him/her, may I use your name?
NOTE: Always analyze the information you've gathered.
Adjust your job search, resume, and career objective if necessary.
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