Puja Shah: Preparing for informational interviews
Whether it be to learn more about a professional’s role, company, or career path, informational interviews are a key part of the job search process. However, they can oftentimes be quite intimidating, especially if you are new to them.
An informational interview is a ≈ 25-30 minute conversation between you and another professional, where you find curiosity in the other person’s professional background and want to learn more about it. You can ask them questions pertaining to their career journey, role, industry, or company. Informational interviews are a great way to explore various career fields and companies you may want to work at, from the experiences of the other person, while growing your professional network.
Finding a Professional and Reaching Out:
The first step is finding a person with a background you are interested in learning more about. Consider a specific area you would like to learn more about. For example, you might want to learn from an SCU alum who works in Product Marketing. LinkedIn can be a great place to start exploring, as you can search for Santa Clara University and search through its alumni, for people that you would like to talk to. Another approach can be to reach out to existing contacts such as professors, family, and friends and ask if they know anyone in their networks that fits the background of someone you are interested in learning from.
After finding a professional, you can send them a brief message by email or LinkedIn, introducing yourself, sharing why you are interested in talking to them, and asking if they would be open to setting up a time to speak.
Preparing Before the Call:
With so many areas for questions in the conversation and limited time on both sides, aim to come to the call well-prepared, knowing the professional’s background and questions you may have for them.
Ahead of the call, it’s good practice to review the professional’s LinkedIn and think of questions that stem from seeing their background. Ensure that you not only look at their current job and description, but also their past roles, education, interests, and news related to their company and industry. Oftentimes, questions can include what made them interested in their current job role, their favorite projects, and what drew them to their current company. As a tip, aim to curate 8-10 questions about things you typically can’t find online, rather about the professional’s unique experiences and perspectives. Putting these questions onto a document to refer to as a guide during your informational interview can be helpful, as well.
During the Call:
Ensure you show up to the call a few minutes early and begin by thanking the professional for their time. Make sure to introduce yourself, your education and experiences, and share what made you interested in talking to them.
You can now ask some questions that you prepared earlier, and if possible, take notes of the highlights of the professional’s responses. As your interview progresses, you can always refer to the document to ask more questions. However, keep in mind that since it is an informal conversation, you can also ask follow up questions to their answers or any areas of confusion and further interest, for a more natural conversation.
As the interview comes to an end, make sure to thank the professional, again, for their time and insights.
Thanking the Professional:
Within one or two days after the call, ensure you send a thank you message or email to the professional, expressing appreciation for their time. Consider including one or two specific things that you were able to learn from your informational interview with them.
Over time, you can also reach out to them periodically, to stay in touch, by sharing any relevant professional updates in your life or asking them any questions that you may have.
Through taking such steps before, during, and after an informational interview, you can successfully navigate gaining clarity in your own career path while growing your network!