Breaking into Repro: Informational Interviews
The process of finding a job is a long and challenging one—especially in a pandemic, and if you don’t know where to begin. For a lot of people—particularly marginalized folks, first-generation folks, and people of color—this process is a mystery shared by mentors and in secret. We hope to demystify this process for everyone and help you feel more prepared as you search for a new position. In this series, we’ll share tips to help you throughout the process.
Have you ever wondered how someone got set on their career path? Have you wanted to know more about what it’s like to work at a particular organization or field? Informational interviews are helpful ways for you to learn more about how the folks you admire got to where they are. It’s important to balance your desire to learn from someone’s career experience with their understandably busy schedule. Here's how to approach someone respectfully and appropriately for an informational interview.
What is an informational interview?
An informational interview is a conversation with a person to learn more about a career path, organization, or field. Informational interviews are helpful to get a greater grasp of what it’s like to work in a particular role or field and think more about what steps you’d like to take for your career path. To be clear, it is not to advertise yourself for a job or to ask for something. You should not try to get a job under the guise of an informational interview. It is important that when you request an informational interview that you stick to what the other person has consented to, whether that’s a 15 minute phone call or an hour over Zoom. Breaking that can be damaging for your relationship and go against hiring processes—additionally, just because a person works at an organization or in a department doesn’t necessarily mean they have anything to do with the hiring process. It’s better to make sure you keep the informational interview to one thing: information-seeking.
Do your homework.
Before you reach out for an informational interview, do your due diligence. Look up the work of the person you are interested in reaching out to. Make sure they’re the right person to answer your questions. Get to know their work and organization, whether through the organization's website, social media, or your own Googling. Do your research to ensure that the information the person will share will be useful and isn’t readily available elsewhere so that you’re making the best use of both of your time.
Reach out formally.
Try reaching out via formal methods first rather than social media. Just because you can find someone on Twitter doesn’t mean that’s the best method to reach out to them, particularly if they are not a semi-public figure and like to keep their social media separate from work. Many people have their email addresses listed on their organizational websites or LinkedIn profiles. Try reaching out that way, or asking a colleague who knows them to connect you. (If you’re a colleague connecting folks, please ask for consent before making a cold connection. Consent is key!) There’s always a way to be connected to someone. Take the time to figure it out as you do your research.
Respect time.
If you’re asking for someone else’s time, respect it. We’re all super swamped all of the time, so if someone is willing to give you their time to chat—even if it’s only 15 minutes—respect that. While you’re chatting with them, keep an eye on the clock to make sure you don’t go over the allotted time and so that you can get all of your questions answered. If they are unable to give you their time, respect that too. We’re all overwhelmed. Hopefully, if they can’t chat with you, they can connect you to a colleague who can.
Plan ahead.
When reaching out, make sure you plan ahead and don’t make last-minute requests. Many people’s schedules—especially with travel and childcare—are booked up months in advance. Plan to ask for a scheduled time several weeks to a month or more in advance. The more heads up someone has, as well as flexibility in scheduling, the more likely you are to get a yes. Since you’re requesting the meeting, take the initiative to schedule the meeting with a calendar invite, Zoom link, offering to call them, or making a reservation at a coffee shop. Make it easy for them.
Prepare.
Use the homework you did to draft thoughtful questions. Bring an agenda to the meeting and expect to drive the conversation. If they have written or been interviewed about their work, use that as a jumping-off point to ask deeper questions that you have rather than the standard ‘tell me about your work’ questions. You had a reason for reaching out to this person, get specific on why and what you’d like to learn. This is your moment to ask all the things you’ve wanted to know, don’t waste it.
Following up.
This is critical: thank them for their time. They’ve given you some of their time to support your learning and career growth, so be sure to send a follow-up email thanking them for their time and insight. Of course, the goal is not to get a job or anything from the meeting, but the follow-up will help them remember that you were thoughtful and professional, and when something does come up they might be able to pass it your way. This is your time to say, "as I mentioned, I'm looking for my next move career-wise. If you see anything that might be a good fit, I'd be really grateful if you send it my way. Thank you so much."