Here are some tips and strategies to help you get over that hurdle of requesting and conducting an informational interview. You will be a pro in no time!

As an introvert, I understand the emotional drain behind networking. It takes time to establish trust to connect with people in a way that feels genuine and authentic. However, in today’s competitive job market, it is imperative to step out of your comfort zone and engage with professionals of all levels to expand your network and and get insight into your career of interest.

As a career coach, I recognize and value the importance of building professional connections. I am an advocate of informational interviews, and consistently advise job seekers and those exploring new career territories to explore this type of networking. However, many job seekers that I have encountered have expressed trepidation about the process and have a fear of rejection or think it is awkward to ask for an informational interview.  I am here to tell you that it’s perfectly ok to reach out to another human being for advice.  With a few tips and tricks, you can do it. Remember, the reality is that many people like to talk about themselves.

Personally, I have conducted an extensive amount of informational interviews and have also been sought out to be interviewed.  Through my experience on both sides, I have learned some strategies on optimizing the experience as well as mistakes that I have encountered along the way.

I would like to share some tips to help you overcome the intimidation of the process, strategies to optimize the experience, and mistakes to avoid.

Self-reflect

Before reaching out to just anyone, it is important to think about the type of information you are seeking and why. You want to be intentional on who you reach out to. You may have a much closer network of people than you think!  Here are some questions to think about:

1. What is your career purpose? / Interests? (It’s okay if that road looks fuzzy, but have some idea)
2. What type of information are you looking for? (opportunities for growth, a specific work culture, industry trends, etc.)
3. Who do you want to connect with? Any particular roles / job titles?
   
4. What organizations interest you? (Your ideal companies)
5. Where do you feel that you need to grow your network?

It is important to stay focused and intentional – this is the first step!

Identify key professionals

Once you have an idea of the types of people you want to connect with, identify professionals that align with your goals and interests. There are a number of ways to do this.  You can use LinkedIn as a tool to research people based on their industry, company, geographic location, academic background etc. This is a pretty amazing tool with information at your fingertips. If you are not yet comfortable cold emailing individuals, tap into your current network and ask to be introduced to people in the field. If you use LinkedIn, you can see who in your network is connected to the professional of interest. In my experience, I have had colleagues who have made email introductions of professionals interested in learning more about my field, my background and career trajectory.

How to connect with professionals

• Reconnect with professionals you have already met before (start with who you know)
• Ask your network to introduce you to professionals in their circle – this helps make the process less daunting when connecting with someone you don’t know
• Use the alumni tool on LinkedIn to identify professionals that graduated from your program and/or college (you have that in common!)
• Always customize your connection requests.  Connect first before asking for an informational interview. Send a follow-up email.  You will have access to their email once they accept the LinkedIn connection
• Check to see if your school has an alumni directory

Here is a sample script when requesting an informational interview via LinkedIn  (be sure to use email instead of LinkedIn messaging – that’s my personal preference)

“Hello Amanda, my name is Liz Herrera, also an alumna of UIC. I came across your profile on LinkedIn and I see that we both graduated from (program, school etc.). I am very impressed by your career trajectory and the work that you are doing in your current role as XYZ. I am exploring new career opportunities in the XYZ field and would like to connect with you to learn about your career experience, your current role and insight you may have for someone transitioning into this field (use this sentence to let them know why you are interested in connecting with them).

I value your time and would welcome the opportunity to schedule a brief 20-25 minute informational interview in person or over the phone.  Are you available on (provide several options and be sure the options are at least a week out)?  If not, please let me know what is most convenient for you. I appreciate your willingness and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.”

• If you were referred by someone, be sure to mention that in your message.
• Keep the message brief and to the point.

Conducting the interview

In person:  dress professionally, arrive a few minutes early (5-10 minutes) and silence your phone.

Over the phone:  call at the time you specified (be sure you are clear in your communication that you will be placing the call).

Be prepared with a brief snapshot of your background. It is important to provide a brief but “focused” introduction to provide some insight to the person you are interviewing. I personally appreciate it when people provide me with some specifics on their background (field of study, their career goals and why they wanted to connect with me). This should be a very brief intro.  This helps guide my responses and identify resources that may be beneficial.

Be sure you have a list of questions prepared ahead of time. Never ask for a job! The goal is to gather career and company information. Be an active listener and take notes. Be mindful of the time. I always appreciate it when the interviewee takes note of time and says something like “I want to be respectful of your time and we are coming to the end of our meeting. You have provided me with great information and have given me a lot to think about”.

Here are some examples of positive experiences I’ve had with people conducting informational interviews with me.

The interviewee:  

• asked me specific questions about my experiences listed on LinkedIn
• was specific in the type of professionals they wanted to connect with and asked me for other recommendations. When this happens, I always refer and introduce interviewees to colleagues
• was respectful of my time
• sent me a thank you email
• sent me updates beyond the initial thank you message. At this point, this person was on my radar and they came to mind when I heard of events or opportunities that I came across  

Examples of mistakes interviewees have made.

The interviewee:

• did not have a clear focus and it was difficult for me to provide any additional recommendations
• was late
• did not send a follow-up email (thank you)
• did not respond to my e-mail with resources I sent (I took time to compile the information and an email acknowledgement would have been appreciated)
• responded negatively to a recommendation
• did most of the talking (I thought I was being interviewed)

Things to consider:

• Don’t get discouraged by feedback! Remember that everyone has their own perspective, this is why it is essential to interview various people
• Before making any drastic career decisions, listen for common themes in the advice you receive
• You may not get a response to your informational interview request – and that’s ok! Move on to the next person on your list.  There are a ton of professionals that would be happy to speak to you about their experience (people like talking about themselves).

Recap – quick checklist:

• Self-reflect – what is the purpose of your interview?

• Identify prospective professionals (reach out to your network first to (get introduced)

• Do your research on the person you are interviewing and the company they represent

• Reach out to professionals on LinkedIn

• Prepare a list of questions (see resource tool below)

• Always ask for additional connection recommendations / referrals after an informational interview

• Be prompt to your meeting

• Display professionalism

• Be an active listener and take notes

• Never ask for a job (you may get leads, but don’t have that expectation)

• Send a thank you note/email within 24 hours

• Follow-up and follow-through

• Keep a positive attitude

• Keep rocking it and schedule your next informational interview

Some of my favorite online tools

• Questions to ask at the informational interview LiveCareer
• 5 Keys to Acing Your Informational Interview The Muse

I challenge you to take the dive and ask for an informational interview today!

Interested in an informational interview coaching session? Contact me at lizcareercoaching@gmail.com.