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The Art and Science of Informational Interviewing
by Sri Dasgupta, LiveCareer Career Coach

Have you ever had a career epiphany? A moment of clarity when you think you've discovered the perfect job? Or have you just been curious about a certain job?

That's where informational interviewing starts. It starts with a desire to learn more about a specific job or industry.

Informational interviewing is much more than what you do when you first graduate from college. It's a powerful tool for career exploration no matter what your stage of life or career.

This article, the 2nd in a 3-part series on the power of networking, talks about the yin and yang, the art and science, of informational interviewing and how it can get you closer to achieving your career goals.

What is informational interviewing?

Informational interviewing is defined simply as learning about a specific topic, such as a career, by talking to someone who is knowledgeable about that topic.

It's an enjoyable and easy way to start networking since you're not asking about actual job openings or opportunities. Your goal is to listen and learn from the person's experience--hear about how they got started and how they navigated their way to where they are today.

Take learning about a particular industry, for instance. As you talk to more people in the field, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the industry. You'll also build your list of contacts and have a much better idea if it's the right career choice for you.

The nuts and bolts of informational interviewing can be summarized in 4 basic steps:

1.   Start with what you want

The Science

The first step is identifying what information you're looking for. Whether you're considering a career change, going back to school or researching your first job, it's important to know what your goal is for the conversation.

With this in mind, you can start to prepare a list of questions.

Here are a few scenarios to give you an idea of the kind of information you might want.

Scenario #1 - You currently work in a bank and your LiveCareer report ranked Medical and Health Care as your top job category. You want to see if the industry really suits you before deciding what to do next.

Scenario #2 - From your LiveCareer report you discover that your interests match those of an Event Planner. However, you don't really know what the job entails. You're interested in finding out what Event Planners actually do day-to-day.

Scenario #3 - You dream about starting your own business. Before forging ahead, you want to hear what it really takes to run a business and be your own boss.

The Art

Don't worry if you can't identify the exact career you're looking for. It's okay if you're not sure what you want to do.

That's the whole point of informational interviewing. You're not supposed to know all the answers in advance. In fact, the more questions you have the better.

Many people have 2 or 3 careers they're interested in and use informational interviewing to narrow their list further.

If you're having difficulty identifying questions, start with your knowledge about yourself - use your LiveCareer report to help pinpoint your interests and work personality - and combine that with a genuine curiosity about the person's experience.

With these two components in place, you've got the starting point for a fruitful conversation.

2.    Find people who are knowledgeable about your topic

The Science

Whether you want to find out more about a particular industry, a specific career, or even how to start a certain kind of business, start with people you know and work your way to someone who can help you.

Just like stepping stones across a creek, conversations with one person will lead you to the next person and the next, until you reach your goal.

High school or college career centers and alumni associations can make it easy to set up informational interviews.

But even if you don't have access to those resources, as I mentioned in the previous article, Why Aren't You Networking?, using your own network is not as hard as you might think.

The Art

Once you have an idea of what information you're looking for, it's amazing what opportunities present themselves.

You'll start to notice that virtually every conversation seems to turn into a chance to network.

Take scenario #2 for example: you're interested in event planning and your friend starts raving about her wedding planner. Before you know it, you find yourself setting up a time to meet with her.

Even if you envision yourself as an event planner for a large hotel chain rather than a wedding planner, don't overlook people in related careers who may interact with individuals in your industry of interest. They may be great sources of information and may lead you to a contact who does exactly what you want to do.

3.    The Conversation

The Science

The typical informational interview usually follows a 3-part structure.

1. Introductions - This allows you both to warm up and build rapport.
    o Thank the person for meeting with you.
    o Make mention of who you know in common to provide context.
    o Summarize your background and situation.
    o Tell them what information you're looking for.
2. Q&A - This allows you to get the information you need.
    o Start with open ended questions to encourage the person share their own experience.
    o Listen with curiosity.
    o Allow them to elaborate on areas that interest you.
    o Ask specific questions to get the exact information you're looking for.
    o Don't ask for a job directly. It's okay if the other person brings it up. But the main purpose of the conversation is to learn more about a job or industry.
3. Wrap up - This allows you to thank the person and ask for additional contacts.
    o Thank the person for their time. 
    o Ask if they know other individuals that would be helpful for you to talk to.
    o Request an introduction or see if they will contact the person in advance.

The Art

The art of conversation really comes from actively listening. As you listen to a person's responses, you may need to read between the lines to get the information you're really looking for.

Ask yourself:

• What are they saying?
• What are they not saying?
• How do you feel as you listen to them? Excited, inspired or bored?

Paying attention to your physical and emotional reactions can be very helpful when it comes to making career decisions.

If you find yourself leaning forward and inspired to ask additional questions, this signals an area you might consider pursuing.

On the other hand, if your mind starts to wander and you suddenly feel tired when the person describes what they do, don't ignore it. That's a red flag!

4.    Follow up

The Science

There are three parts to following up after an informational interview.

a. Write a thank you note

In my opinion, it's important to thank each person in writing. People have different views about the nature of the thank you note - whether it should be mailed vs. emailed, or handwritten vs. type-written.

I think what's most important is that you actually send a thank you note.

If you're stuck about what to say, here are a couple of basics:
   o If anything about the conversation was particularly useful or interesting, mention it.
   o If you've already used any of the information they gave you, such as following up with someone they introduced you to, tell them so.

b. Use the information you've gathered

Processing the new information you've received is an important step that is commonly overlooked.

Many people rush into career decisions without enough information, only to find out years later that they've made a costly career mistake.

So take the time to put all the facts, figures and anecdotes together. As you do so, ask yourself:
   o Did you get the information you wanted? What did you learn?
   o What surprised you during these conversations? Why?
   o What new questions do you have now, as a result?

Combined with the interests and work environments in your LiveCareer report, this information can help you determine your next steps.

c. Contact referrals

It may not be realistic for you to contact them all immediately.

Rather than going through the motions, only initiate when you're ready. Returning to step 1, identifying what you want, will help you to prepare for the next cycle of interviews.

The Art

Informational interviewing can seem like a meandering road, one person may encourage you to pursue one path and another will urge the opposite.

Rather than taking everyone's advice at face value, assess how it resonates with your experience, intuition and self knowledge.

Adding to the questions above:

• What did you learn about yourself as you answered these questions?
• How will you use this information?

Taking the time you need to understand how the information relates to you and your situation truly is the pay off for all your time and energy.

Conclusion

Informational interviewing can be a powerful tool if you take the proper steps (the science) and apply resourcefulness and curiosity (the art).

If you're attentive, you can use every bit of information from your informational interviews to make better career decisions.

Here are a few ideas to keep in mind as you interview others for information:

• Be clear about what you want.
• Find people who can get you started in the right direction.
• Listen with curiosity and pay attention to how you react to what you hear.
• Thank everyone along the way for their help.
• No matter how much or how little information you get from each person, you can put it all to good use.

In the next article, the last in the series on networking, we'll talk about how to network so that it fits with who you are.

*This information was brought to you by livecareer.com. Check them out for more helpful articles.