Note: This document is from the manuscript that later became the book A Foot in the Door: Networking Your Way into the Hidden Job Market by Katharine Hansen (April 2000, Ten Speed Press).
 

What is informational interviewing?

Here's a startling statistic: One out of every 200 resumes (some studies put the number as high as 1,500 resumes) results in a job offer. One out of every 12 informational interviews, however, results in a job offer. That's why informational interviewing is the ultimate networking technique, especially considering that the purpose of informational interviewing is not to get job offers. Job offers just happen to be a delightful side benefit to this valuable practice.

Informational interviewing is just what it sounds like – interviewing designed to produce information. What kind of information? The information you need to choose or refine a career path, learn how to break in and find out if you have what it takes to succeed. Informational interviewing is an expanded form of chatting with your network contacts. It's the process of spending time with one of your network contacts in a highly focused conversation that provides you with key information you need to launch or boost your career. The term "informational interviewing" was invented by Richard Nelson Bolles, author of the best-selling career guide of all time, What Color Is Your Parachute? Bolles refers to the process as "trying on jobs to see if they fit you." He notes that most people screen jobs and companies after they've already taken a job, while informational interviewing gives you the opportunity to conduct the screening process before accepting a position.

An informational interview is not the same as a job interview by any means, but it is probably the most effective form of networking there is. I require my students to perform three informational interviews per semester. Most of them are cynical about the assignment in the beginning, but I can't tell you how many have ended the semester amazed and delighted with how much they learned and how influential the process was for their careers. I'm not the only teacher whose students have been thrilled with informational interviews. Terry Carles, a student recruitment counselor at Valencia Community College reports, "I teach Career Development, and my students are required to do an informational interview. Every semester, someone returns with a job, internship, etc., from their experience. One student completed an informational interview with a network administrator, and returned the next week with a $23,000 a year job offer."

I've had students who've realized as a result of informational interviewing that their career paths and even their majors were totally wrong. They made this discovery when there was still time to make a course correction. Others haven't needed such a drastic change but have adjusted their assumptions and expectations based on what they learned in the interviews. When you are considering entering or changing to a certain career path, it just makes all kinds of sense to talk to people in that field. Yet most people never do. They trust their professors, textbooks, or romantic notions about professions gleaned from TV or movies. When you really think about it, you miss out on an incredible opportunity if you fail to research your career field by talking to people in it.

The best way to learn what you really want in a career
Because of the exploratory nature of informational interviews, they are particularly effective for those, such as college students, who are just embarking on their careers. They are also an excellent tool for career-changers who want to find out what's involved in the career they are considering entering. Even for those who don't wish to change careers but do want to change jobs, informational interviews can be a helpful way of discovering what working for other companies would be like. A jobseeker who does an informational interview usually has his or her career path illuminated in one of the following ways:

• The inexperienced jobseeker learns about the realities of the world of work and what to expect.
• The jobseeker learns what types of opportunities are available in a given field, including jobs and career paths he or she may not have thought of or known existed.
• The jobseeker's career aspiration is affirmed. The dream career turns out to be everything he or she thought it would be.
• The jobseeker's career path is reinforced, but he or she learns that more training or more polished skills will be necessary for success in the field. Or the jobseeker learns of his or her professional strengths and weaknesses and often receives a resume critique. The jobseeker sometimes has an opportunity to promote his or her strengths in a nonthreatening environment.
• The career the jobseeker always wanted turns out to be wrong for him or her. I had a student who began the semester 100 percent sure he wanted to be a stockbroker. After interviewing three stockbrokers, he ended the semester 100 percent sure he did not want to be a stockbroker. Many jobseekers learn through informational interviews that the career's average salary, working conditions, or opportunities for advancement are not what they imagined. Or they learn that the career just doesn't fit their personality.
• A jobseeker who is unsure about which career path to follow who interviews people in several different careers obtains the information needed to choose from among the various career paths. Or the jobseeker who is set on a general path to pursue narrows down a specific niche through informational interviewing. A new graduate who wants to get into marketing, for example, may decide as the result of informational interviews whether to pursue marketing research, sales, or promotion.
• A jobseeker who conducts informational interviews with several companies discovers an excellent fit within an organization's culture and decides that would be a great company to work for.
• The jobseeker gleans the information needed to develop a strategy for entering the career of choice.
• The jobseeker clarifies values, realizing what's really important in life and choosing a career that allows him or her to nurture what's important.

• The early stage, when you are exploring which career path to pursue.
• The middle stage, when you are finalizing career choices and deciding on a niche within your career path.
• The late stage, when you are deciding which companies to apply to and preparing to interview for jobs.
• The stages revisited, when you're ready to change careers and begin the cycle anew.
• The stage in which you don't want to change careers, but you'd like to explore other companies to see if the grass really is greener.

• the needs of the company or department that is the subject of the interview. Armed with knowledge about these needs, the jobseeker can later approach the company with a description of how he or she can meet the needs.
• valuable insider knowledge about how to break into and succeed in the chosen career and company. Consider a future job interview in which your competition is someone who has conducted an informational interview with someone in the company at which you're both interviewing (and you haven't). Which one of you do you think will have the edge in the job interview?
• the names of the other companies that may be hiring.
• the names of other contacts who can become part of the jobseeker's network.
• timely information about industry trends and issues that can provide an inside edge in the job search.
• how to "speak the language" – the jargon of the industry.
• the existence of unadvertised job openings within the company. Sometimes the unadvertised opening is the very one you informational interviewee holds! Tammy Bowen, a director of career planning, tells of conducting an informational interview when she was relocating to a new area. The woman she interviewed had just accepted another position elsewhere and called Bowen to ask if she were interested in the woman was vacating. Bowen was then invited for a job interview and offered the job, which she accepted. The same thing happened to Jerry Falco, director of the Career Development Center at Lycoming College. "I got my first job after college in a matter of days through networking," Falco recalls. "My girlfriend's sister was dating a pharmaceutical salesman. I called for an informational interview. The salesman gave me the district manager's name and number. The salesman had just announced his plan to continue his education full-time, and a replacement was needed. I did not know this when I called. I called the district manager and arranged a meeting for the next morning. I was offered the job less than a week later."

People in the world of work are generally delighted to serve as the subject of informational interviews for the same reasons they are willing to be included as a member of your network. They like to talk about themselves and give advice. They are often especially eager to do their part to recruit a new member of their profession and encourage those just starting out in the field. Information and advice are easy to give, compared with actually trying to put people into jobs.

Practice and self-confidence that you can apply to job interviews
An informational interview is not the same as a job interview by any means. Essentially, you are in control of an informational interview; you set the agenda; you ask the questions. Despite the differences, however, informational interviewing gives you valuable practice in talking with people one on one in a professional setting. Because the atmosphere of the informational interview is relatively relaxed compared to that of a job interview, you can bolster your confidence so that you are exuding self-assurance when you interview for an actual job opening. The more informational interviews you conduct, the more confident you will be in job-interviewing situations. My students have also discovered that communication skills are important in virtually any kind of job, and they find that informational interviewing helps them practice their communication skills. You also improve your listening skills and your ability to interact with many types of people. Wrote one of my students, a senior finance major: "Informational interviewing has helped me to realize how important communication skills are in pursuing success. Before the interviews, I was never a person who would approach someone much older than me and strike up a conversation. After conducting the interview, though, I have much more confidence in myself and know that if I wanted to have a conversation with someone more experienced than me, I could."

What it isn't: It's not a sneaky way to interview for a job
The practice of informational interviewing is not without its abusers. Too many jobseekers have arranged interviews on the pretext that they are purely to be informational but then have deceitfully tried to turn the sessions into job interviews. So much abuse has occurred, in fact, that some employers are extremely wary of being informationally interviewed, while others have been burned and refuse to be fooled again. If you've had any thoughts of trying to be dishonest about your motives for informational interviewing, please put this book down and go hang your head in shame. Ask yourself if you would hire someone who had deceived you about the purpose of his or her interview with you. And trust me when I tell you that informational interviewing is phenomenally effective without any deceit. Job and internship offers often result from informational interviews, but getting offers is not the purpose of the interviews. Don't ever forget that precept as you prepare to conduct informational interviews. And remember that the information and insight you gain from this process is exceedingly valuable in its own right.

What job-seekers have to say about the value of informational interviewing
See comments from BN 301 students at the end of this document.
 

How to find and choose interviewees: Network, network, network

Finding people with whom to conduct informational interviews is totally a networking process. Anyone in your network can be either the subject of an informational interview or can suggest others to interview. The ideal subject of an informational interview is someone who is in a job you'd like to have. Informational interviewees can also be in jobs you'd like to have someday but are not yet qualified for. Those kinds of interviewees can be advantageous because they may also possess hiring power. If you interview someone with hiring power, you increase your chances of receiving a job offer as a direct result of the informational interview. But remember that obtaining offers is not the purpose of these interviews. It's fine to interview people with hiring power, but you will likely learn more from people at your own level (and depending on your level, your peers may have hiring power anyway). Favor information over influence, but aim for a mix of interviewees with and without hiring power.

If you are still unsure of what you want to do in your career, you may have to narrow down your list of occupations before you can find specific interviewees. Chances are that even if you are undecided, you have a few careers under consideration at the top of your list. It's no problem to have lots of possibilities because the interviews themselves will help you narrow down career paths.

Scrutinize your network for people who would make good informational interview subjects. Among the best sources for informational interviews for college students and new grads are alumni, especially recent alumni who are in the kind of job you expect to occupy right out of college. Company representatives who recruit on your campus are also good targets for informational interviews. They are frequently asked to perform this function, and they are also naturally quite adept in providing information on working for their company.

The best sources for informational interviews for established job-seekers and career-changers include members of professional organizations. If no one in your network fits that description, start asking members of your network to suggest people in the type of job you'd like to be in.

Don't be afraid to shoot for pie-in-the-sky interviewees. If you'd love to interview Michael Eisner or Bill Gates, but, not surprisingly, no one in your network knows one of these superstars, try approaching them cold. Granted, success is pretty unlikely, but it can't hurt to ask, and some very powerful titans of business have, in fact, occasionally granted informational interviews. Once you've identified some people to interview, you can approach them using the suggestions under How to set up informational interviews.
 

For Stetson students, here's an easy way to network with SU alumni: Stetson Alumni E-mail Database.

How many interviews should you conduct? Informational interviewing can be a rich and fulfilling lifelong process. You could spend your whole career learning about other people's jobs while enjoying your own. You can also spend a lot of time on informational interviewing in the early formative years of your career when you're still exploring what you'd like to do. It's wise to interview several people in any one type of job to get a variety of perspectives. You wouldn't want to base your whole opinion about a given job on an interview with someone who was burned out on the position or carrying a chip on his or her shoulder.

The number of interviews you conduct at any given time when you are searching for a job will depend a great deal on the urgency of your job hunt. On one hand, informational interviews are time-consuming, both to arrange and conduct. On the other hand, they are highly effective. If your job search is urgent, employ other networking techniques and conventional job-search methods, but always keep at least a few informational interviews in the mix. I assign my students, generally college juniors, to do up to three informational interviews for my class. If I could, I would probably assign at least 10. You will be your own best judge of how many will benefit you and your career.
 

How to set up informational interviews

Before you even approach your prospective interviewees, you need to think about what you are actually requesting.

Setting a framework: In person, phone, or via e-mail?
Should you ask to conduct the interview over the phone, through e-mail or in person? Face-to-face interviews are by far the most valuable and effective. To talk to someone in his or her own workplace environment can be so much more instructive than talking over the phone or online. You can observe so much more of the corporate culture during an in-person interview. You are also much more likely to make a lasting and productive connection with your interviewee and more likely to receive a job offer.

Face-to-face interviews are not always possible, however. Sometimes simple geography is the obstacle; someone you'd really like to interview is just too far away to make a visit practical. Time constraints also may play a role. Even though a phone or e-mail interview can be just as time consuming as a face-to-face meeting, prospective interviewees sometimes perceive in-person interviews as more of a disruption than other means.

Ultimately, the framework should be the interviewee's decision, but when you initially approach the subject to request an interview, it's a good idea to express your preference.

How much time should you ask for?
The rule of thumb for informational interviews is to ask for 20-30 minutes. Once you're in the interview, it's important to stick to that limit unless you get clear signals from the interviewee that he or she would like the meeting to continue for a longer period.

Using referrals to help set up informational interviews
People in your network can be invaluable to you in setting up informational interviews. They can help in two ways:

• Directly running interference for you by contacting someone you'd like to interview. Let's say your Uncle Ed knows a big honcho at a company you'd love to work for. Uncle Ed calls Mr. Big and, after the appropriate small talk, says, "My nephew, Charlie, is looking for a job in your field and would love to conduct an informational interview with you to find out more about your career. Do you mind if he contacts you to arrange an appointment?" And Mr. Big responds, "No problem. I'd love to help out. I look forward to hearing from Charlie."
• Allowing you to use his or her name as a referral. In this case, Uncle Ed hasn't gone so far as to pave the way for you but says it's fine to use his name. Thus, when you contact Mr. Big, you can say, "My uncle, Ed Matthews, suggested I contact you to see if you might be able to meet with me for 30 minutes to tell me about your career."

• Identify you.
• Tell why you're contacting this person.
• Tell how you got the person's name, if applicable.
• Assure the prospective interviewee you need only a brief meeting.
• Assure him or her you are not looking for a job in this interview (if subject raises concerns along these lines).
• Optionally, offer in-person, phone, or e-mail choices for the interview.
• Express appreciation to the prospective interviewee for considering the interview.

If your initial contact is by phone, it's extremely helpful to have been referred to your prospective interviewee. It's also helpful if you're a student since working people especially enjoy helping students. Whatever your situation when you make that call, your call will likely be intercepted by a gatekeeper – a receptionist, secretary, or assistant. These people need not be thought of as obstacles, and a little courtesy and respect should enable you to connect with the person you want to interview. Let's look at a possible scenario:

Secretary answering interviewee's phone: Bill Jones' office; Nancy Fredericks speaking.
You: Good morning, Nancy (or Ms. Fredericks). How are you today? My name is _________. May I speak to Mr. Jones?
Nancy: Will he know what this is in reference to?
You, if you've written a letter first: I'm following up on a letter I sent him last week.
OR (a bit more boldly): He's expecting my call. (If you said in your letter that you would call, this statement is perfectly true.)
OR, if you've been referred to Mr. Jones by someone else: Stu Ross suggested I call Mr. Jones.
OR, if you're a student: I'm a student at [name of university], and I wanted to see if I could schedule a very brief meeting with Mr. Jones to find out more about his career.

Any of those responses on your part should get you past the gatekeeper. Experts suggest that Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are less busy than Mondays or Fridays, and you will be more likely to be put through on those days. Often the gatekeeper will be perfectly willing to put you through, but it's impossible to do so because your prospective interviewee is out of the office, in a meeting, or on another line. If you are asked if you'd like to leave a message, it's best to inquire as to the best time to call back. Since you want to avoid leaving the interviewee with any obligation to call you back, it's better to try to phone him or her back. If you've tried repeatedly to call back and never find the interviewee in, you could leave a message asking that he or she call back, but don't hold your breath.

You can also try some techniques for avoiding the gatekeeper altogether. The kinds of people you want to interview often come to work early and stay late. Try calling before or after working hours, and you may find your interviewee answering his or her own phone. You could also deliberately call way after hours (say, late at night) knowing you will be connected to the interviewee's voice mail. If so, however, remember that the voice mail is just another avenue for paving the way. You don't want to leave the impression that you expect the interviewee to call you back. Always keep the ball in your own court. A pave-the-way voice mail message might be:
 

Hello Mr. Jones. This is Kitty Farr calling. I am exploring possible career directions and am interested in interviewing you very briefly about your career. I'll call you back on Wednesday morning to talk to your personally about scheduling a short meeting.

Possible embellishments based on your situation:

Hello Mr. Jones. This is Kitty Farr calling. I'm following up on the letter (or e-mail) I sent you last week about interviewing you very briefly about your career. I'll call you back on Wednesday morning to talk to your personally about scheduling a short meeting.

Hello Mr. Jones. This is Kitty Farr calling. Stu Ross suggested I contact you about interviewing you very briefly about your career. I'll call you back on Wednesday morning to talk to your personally about scheduling a short meeting.

Hello Mr. Jones. This is Kitty Farr calling. Stu Ross suggested I contact you about interviewing you very briefly about your career. I'll call you back on Wednesday morning to talk to your personally about scheduling a short meeting.

Hello Mr. Jones. This is Kitty Farr calling. I'm a student at Albright University, and I'm interested in interviewing you very briefly about your career. I'll call you back on Wednesday morning to talk to your personally about scheduling a short meeting.

Sample phone scripts for direct dialog with interviewee
Once you are talking with the actual person you want to interview, here are some suggested scripts. Of course, you don't want to sound as though you're reading from a script, but these samples will give you an idea what to say. Always ask if this is a good time to talk. If the prospective interviewee indicates that you haven't called at a good time, ask if there is a better time to call back.
 

For a cold call  Hi, my name is __________________. Do you have a few moments? [wait for response] I'm in the process of making some career decisions and have discovered through my research that your company is doing some exciting things. I would like to see if I could schedule an appointment to conduct a short interview with you about your career. I would not take any more than 30 minutes of your time.

For a referral  Hi, my name is __________________. Karen Levy suggested I contact you. Have I caught you at a good time? [wait for response] Karen tells me you'd be a great person to talk to about a career in __________. I'm exploring that field and wondered if we might be able to meet for about 30 minutes so I could ask you some questions about your career and get your perspective on it.

For a self-referral based on seeing the prospective interviewee speak  Hi, my name is __________________. I was at the meeting of the American Marketing Association last week and really enjoyed the talk you gave. Do you have a few minutes? [wait for response] When I heard you speak, I knew it would be so enlightening to talk with you about your marketing career. I'm interested in breaking into marketing and would love to schedule a brief meeting to get your advice. I need only about 30 minutes of your time.

For a self-referral based on a previous encounter  Hi, this is __________________. I really enjoyed meeting you at Zach Howell's party last Saturday. Our brief chat really affirmed my interest in investment banking. Are you terribly busy right now? [wait for response] It was great to chat with you, and I wondered if you might have 30 minutes in which we could continue our conversation.

For a student  Hi, my name is __________________. Is this a good time for you? [wait for response] I'm a student at Kensington University majoring in ___________, and I'm plotting out my career path. Would it be possible to conduct a short interview with you so I can get your advice and find out more about your job? I promise I wouldn't take more than half an hour.

For a letter or e-mail followup  Hi, my name is __________________. I wrote you a letter last week. Am I keeping you from anything? [wait for response] As you recall, I wrote to ask if you could spare 30 minutes to talk with me about your career. Do you think we could schedule a meeting?

For a voice mail followup  Hi, my name is __________________. I left you a voice-mail message yesterday. Am I interrupting anything? [wait for response] As you recall, I was calling to see if I could arrange to interview you for no more than 30 minutes about your career.

As the prospective interviewee agrees and begins to suggest times, don't put roadblocks in the way. Do whatever you need to do to accommodate the interviewee's schedule. The interviewee is doing you a big favor, so it's your job to be flexible.

Asking in person for an informational interview
There's always the possibility you'll meet face to face with someone who would make a great informational interview subject. If it's a chance meeting, you might spontaneously mention that you'd love to informationally interview the person. You will probably still have to follow up by phone or e-mail to arrange the actual appointment.

Handling resistance to informational interviews
As noted earlier, informational interviewing has been abused to the degree that some employers are wary or downright hostile to the practice. If a prospective interviewee seems hesitant about your request, don't push too hard. If you sense a crack in his or her resistance, you can simply assure the person that you seek only information; you are not trying to sneak your way into a job interview. If you are student, be sure to mention that fact since many employers are more willing to assist students than other jobseekers. But if the prospect just seems too uncomfortable with the idea, cut your losses and move on to the next person.

Another type of resistance can come from the prospective interviewee who suggests that you should be talking to the company personnel director or human resources manager. In that case, tell the would-be interviewee that you are not seeking the interview for the purpose of actively pursuing a job; instead you are, at this stage, merely seeking information to help you make some career decisions.

In response to your request for an informational interview, you might be told the company has no openings. Explain that you are not pursuing openings but simply information; you are not in a position to seek job openings until you have gathered more information.

Some people might be ostensibly willing to be interviewed but tell you they are too busy. Don't press them, but do ask if they anticipate a future time when they might have time for an interview. Or ask if they know someone else in a similar position who might have time to meet with you – which is also a great way to expand your network.
 

How to prepare for an informational interview

For an informational interview to be truly effective, you can't just go into it blindly. You need to prepare.

Research the company
Thorough company research is an absolute necessity when you go on a regular job interview. You don't have to do quite as much research for an informational interview, but some degree of research will greatly enhance the quality of informational interviews. If you are informed about the company, you'll be able to ask more intelligent and relevant questions. You'll respond thoughtfully to information and any questions the interviewee might put to you. You won't ask questions that could easily have been answered by doing your homework. A number of great resources are available for company research, many of them right at your fingertips on the Internet. An excellent umbrella Website that walks you through the whole process of company research is the Quintessential Careers Researching Companies site at http://www.quintcareers.com/researching_companies.html. Other resources include:

• Library reference material. Check with your reference librarian on how to find company information. Some standard reference sources, both about companies and occupations in general, include: The Occupational Outlook Handbook, The Dictionary of Occupational Titles, U.S. Industrial Outlook, and The 100 Best Companies to Work for in America.
• Library online and CD-ROM databases. (At Stetson, go to: http://www.stetson.edu/departments/library/database.html#BUSINESS.) Examples include Lexis/Nexis Universe, ABI/INFORM Global, Business Source Elite, NewsBank InfoWeb, ReferenceUSA Businesses, Business & Industry News, Business Organizations, Contents1st, and EconLit. These databases direct you to timely articles about companies found in recent periodicals and elsewhere. The database will either direct you to the periodical that contains the article or will actually contain the article in full-text form, which you can access right from the database.
• Annual reports. You can request them from the company itself. A selection of annual reports also may be available in your library. And many annual reports are available on the World Wide Web. More than 1,000 can be accessed through http://www.reportgallery.com/. You can order annual reports through the Public Register's free annual report service at http://www.prars.com/. Many companies also have annual reports for the current and recent past years at their Websites.
• Other company literature. Contact the company to ask for any brochures, newsletters, or other publications they might have that would familiarize you with the organization.
• Company Web pages. If you don't know a company's Web address, you can try two easy steps. Try typing in www.companyname.com, where "companyname" is the actual name of the firm. Or simply conduct a search on one or more of the Web's many search engines, such as Google. Or go to The Quintessential Directory of Company Career Centers at http://www.quintcareers.com/career_centers/
  
• University Career Services offices. These offices contain lots of company information for college students, and alumni can generally use the resources of the career center at their university as well.

Decide if and how you will record information
Consider whether you'd like to document any of what you learn during the interview, and if so, how. You may find it especially helpful to have a record of the interviews if you do a lot of them and want keep track of which interview yielded which information. Notes can be a valuable resource when you go back and contact the companies you especially liked as you switch into full job-hunting mode. When you encounter an employer you'd really like to work for, you will probably want to take notes about the company's needs so you can later write a cover letter that tells how you can meet the firm's needs. You'll also definitely want to jot down the names of any additional contacts your interviewees refer you to. Options for recording information include:

• Taking notes on small notepad. Try to be unobtrusive, and don't be writing furiously every moment of the interview. You want to give your interviewee your full attention, so jot down only the most important information.
• Tape-recording. The most important thing about tape-recording is to obtain your interviewee's permission before you tape. Use a tape recorder small and easy enough to use that it won't disrupt the interview. Also realize that should you ever wish to transcribe the taped interview, it's a more time-consuming process than most people realize.
• Trusting your memory. Going into the interview without any way to record what you learn is always an option, but you may want to plant a notepad in your car, so you can quickly write down everything you remember about the interview right afterward.

Plan to update and bring your resume
Let us once again stress that the informational interview is not a job interview. But you should still make sure your resume is updated and take a copy with you to the informational interview. For one thing, your interviewee may very well ask you for a copy. "As someone who has spent 10 years in human resources, I'd have to say that if I was meeting with someone for an informational interview and they did not have a resume, I'd think that they were unprepared and therefore, maybe not such a top candidate for a future opening," cautions Robbin Beauchamp, employer relations coordinator at Stonehill College. "Any job seeker, regardless of age or experience, should be able to easily get their hands on their most current, updated resume. Keep them in the car! Carpe diem!"

If you are not asked for your resume, you can at the end of the interview consider asking the interviewee to take a look at your resume to see if he or she could offer any suggestions for making the resume a more effective tool for obtaining a job in this field or company. Ask for this resume advice only if you feel extremely comfortable with the interviewee. A request for a quick resume critique will be met much more receptively if you've established excellent rapport with the interviewee. The ability to leave your resume or ask for a resume critique is one clear advantage of conducting face-to-face interviews.

"I tell students to go prepared with their resumes but that they might not get a chance to use them," notes Bill Fletcher, director of career and experiential education at the College of Mount St. Joseph. Fletcher elaborates on some reasons for taking your resume:

• The employer may ask for one in order to find out more about the student and to decide which areas to cover in the interview.
• The student can ask the employer if they would mind taking a look at his or her resume and giving some quick feedback. (The student should have two copies of the resume, one to take notes on and another to leave with the employer if asked to).
• It demonstrates that the student is prepared and serious – not wasting the employer's time. If the employer does ask for one and the student doesn't have one, it gives an unprepared impression.

If you receive advice during the interview that you know will enable you to better tailor your resume to that industry, consider asking – again, only if your rapport with the interviewee has been exceptional – if you can send the resume to the interviewee after making changes and call him or her for an opinion on the new version.

You may occasionally encounter advice that says don't take your resume to an informational interview. One reasonable justification for not taking it is that only after the informational interview will you be able to tailor your resume specifically to the kind of job your interviewee told you about. "I recommend not taking a resume to an informational interview," says Elaine Balych of Mount Royal College in Canada. "All the information learned in the informational interview is fodder for tailoring your resume to reflect the needs of that employer. If that employer gets your old resume – without the information learned – the job hunter is not positioning himself or herself strategically. What I recommend is that the job hunter be prepared to deal with the request in a very fast turnaround such as ëI do not have one with me at this time but would be happy to put one in your hands in the next 24 or 48 hours.'"

Practice with a friend or family member
If you haven't done much interviewing, ease yourself in by informationally interviewing one or more close friends or family members before you conduct an interview with someone you don't know well. There's probably a lot you don't know about the jobs of those close to you, so in addition to obtaining valuable practice, you may even learn something.

Call to confirm your appointment
The day before your interview, call to confirm that the meeting is still on. Confirm also the interview time, and make sure you know how to get to the interviewee's workplace.

Prepare a list of questions
Sometimes you'll find in informational interviews that conversation flows very naturally and spontaneously, but in most cases, you will need to steer the interview in a direction most helpful to you by asking questions. For a 30-minute interview, a list of perhaps 15 questions should be plenty, but you should be prepared with a few extras in case your interviewee gives very concise responses. The list of 200 questions accompanying this document would probably be enough to last for days, so how do you narrow down the list? Ask the questions the answers to which you most want to know. And you are certainly not limited to the questions herein. Think of what you'd most like to know about your interviewee's job and compose questions that target that information.

Most books on job interviewing suggest questions that can be asked of an employer during a job interview. Most of these questions can be adapted as informational interview questions.

Keep yes-or-no questions to a minimum. Open-ended questions are far more effective because the interviewee will have to elaborate on the answers instead of responding in monosyllables.

Prioritize your questions; if you don't have enough time to ask all your questions, you will at least have asked the ones that are most important to you. Focus on questions whose answers cannot easily be found elsewhere, such as company literature.
 

What to ask: 200 great questions to choose from

(click on 200 Questions for actual list).

What NOT to ask

• Don't ask blunt questions about the interviewee's actual salary.
• Don't ask for a job or ask the interviewee's help in getting you a job.
• Don't ask highly personal questions.

If you are greeted by a receptionist or other assistant, treat that person warmly. Such gatekeepers can be wonderful allies, and you can often learn as much from them as from your interviewees. Take your lead from the receptionist, and if small talk seems appropriate, by all means participate in the chat. Look around and absorb the environment. Everything you observe about the company's facilities and atmosphere will tell you a lot about the organization's culture.

Meeting your interviewee
When you finally encounter your interviewee, greet him or her with a moderately firm handshake and a warm, enthusiastic smile. Thank your interviewee for taking the time to meet with you. In the interviewee's office, wait for an invitation to sit down before making yourself comfortable. Your conversation will likely begin with some ice-breaking chitchat. Make the most of that small talk to set yourself and your interviewee at ease.

Absorbing your surroundings
Take in the environment at the company. How does it compare with your expectations? What would it be like to work for this organization? How quiet or noisy is it? What other establishments are nearby? Are there places to go for lunch? What's the parking situation? What's the office setup? Is it Cubicle City, or are there private offices? Do workers have windows, and if so, what kind of view do they see when they look out? Does the office seem pristine and new or shabby and dilapidated? How are people dressed? Are workers interacting, or do they keep to themselves? Does one gender predominate? Do the people seem as though they like their work, or does the atmosphere seem tense? Would you enjoy working there? Unless your prime objective in conducting the interview is to find out about the company because you are considering working there, don't be unduly influenced by the physical surroundings. If you are more interested in exploring the interviewee's job or industry than the company, realize that just because one person who holds this job title works in an unattractive environment doesn't mean everyone with that job does. Conversely, don't conclude that a particular type of job is glamorous based on your observations that one person's job seems that way.

Listening and observing keenly
Before you begin your questioning, you may want to make a brief opening statement reminding the interviewee of your objective: "I am in the process of trying to narrow down some career choices, and I am interested in finding out more about what your job [or career, company] is really like. I really appreciate your taking this time with me." You may also want to share a bit about your background and aspirations. Many interviewees want to know about you so they can tailor their responses to your needs; that's why some ask to see your resume even before the interview.

As you begin asking questions, be sure to listen attentively and enthusiastically to the interviewee's responses. Look for clues to your interviewee's personality and that of his or her company. When appropriate, use those clues to steer the conversation toward mutual interests. Does the interviewee have lots of photos of his or her kids around the office? Does the interviewee display any sort of collection (for example, elephant figurines, toy soldiers, teapots)? Is there interesting artwork in the office? Are there plants or freshly cut flowers? Is there paraphernalia suggesting an interest in a sporting activity, such as fishing, golf or tennis? Does the interviewee's office show him or her to be a fan of a particular sports team? Feel free to comment about any of these clues. The interviewee will be flattered that you noticed his or her interests and will likely enjoy talking about them. If the interests are mutual, you can forge an even stronger bond with your interviewee. Just remember that you've asked for only a short period of the interviewee's time, so don't get bogged down talking about your mutual interest in skydiving.

Opening a window into your personality
While you should stick somewhat closely to your scripted questions, don't just become a question-spewing robot. Be business-like, and show that you take the interview seriously, but let some of your personality shine through. Discussion of mutual interests is one way, but also keep yourself open to the possibility of spontaneity in the conversation. If something your interviewee says makes you think of a question that's not on your list, don't hesitate to ask it. Be sure the interviewee knows how interested you are in learning about his or her career and how much you appreciate his or her information and advice. The interviewee may even start asking you questions; be sure to respond to them with a bright and energetic attitude. Also look for opportunities to demonstrate that you've done your homework and learned something about the company before coming to the interview.

Enthusiasm is everything
Employers rank lack of enthusiasm as their pet peeve among candidates with whom they conduct job interviews. Interview enthusiasm is key in getting a job. The same principle applies to informational interviewing. If you are enthusiastic about learning about your interviewee, you will make a far more favorable impression than someone who just seems to be going through the motions. Be animated and bubbly, and the interviewee will begin thinking of you as a job candidate even though that's not what you're there for.

Knowing when to end it
Keep an eye on the time, but be careful not to keep looking at your watch as though you're bored. As your allotted time draws to a close, make a remark such as, "I don't want to go over the 30 minutes I asked for, so let me ask you one final question." Or: "Well, I promised I would take only 30 minutes of your time, so we can wrap the interview up now if you'd like." The interviewee will either accept your invitation to stop or will indicate that he or she is enjoying the conversation and would like it continue.

Asking if you can stay in contact
Don't leave without saying something along the lines of, "I hope I can keep in contact with you and let you know how my job search is going." Ask your interviewee for a business card so you have the information at hand that will help you keep in touch.

Asking for referrals
Also be sure to ask for names of other people, both within the company and outside it, who could give you similar information about your career and be part of your network. Ask if you can use your interviewee's name when you contact people he or she has referred you to.

Asking (only if totally appropriate!) for a quick resume critique
If you are absolutely positive you have established rapport with your interviewee, ask if he or she would mind taking a very quick look at your resume. Ask for specific suggestions for tailoring the resume to a job like your interviewee's or another job at the interviewee's company. Ask how you could best portray the qualifications and characteristics your dream job requires.

What to do if you really are offered a job or internship
If the timing and the job are right for you, by all means take the offer (perhaps after thinking about it and discussing it with appropriate members of your network).

Don't leave the interview without . . .

• Asking for referrals. Once you are given names, confirm that it's OK with your interviewee for you to use his or her name when you contact the referrals. If you feel especially good rapport with the interviewee, you might ask if he or she would be willing to pave the way – by contacting the referral and telling him or her to expect to hear from you – for you to get in touch with the referral.
• Asking for the interviewee's business card
• Thanking the interviewee (you'll do so again in writing).

• What did I get out of the informational-interview experience?
• Could I have done anything to improve each individual interview?
• What did I learn overall?
• What did I learn about myself?
• Do I feel positive about what I learned?
• What did I learn about what I value in a job and in a workplace?
• How does each job align with my own interests, abilities, and goals?
• Did one job stand out over the other(s) and provide me with clearer career direction than I had before?
• What were the positives and negatives of each interviewee's job?
• What did I learn about how to break into my preferred field?
• What did I learn about how to succeed in my preferred field?
• How do my skills/grades/experiences/personal characteristics measure up to what's required for entry or success in my preferred field?
• Do I need more training or experience to get where I want to be in my preferred field?
• Have my ideas about pursuing my preferred field changed now that I know more about it?
• Assuming I still want to pursue my original career direction, what is my strategy for seeking a job in this field?
• If I have decided against my original field, what fields am I now considering, and how will I go about finding out if another field suits me better?
• What further information do I still need to obtain?
• What should be my most immediate next steps?