7 Tips for Informational Interviewing

Beyond a Great Resume and Cover Letter

While a great resume and cover letter are important in your job search, your relationships can be even more key. According to a recent Novoresume careerblog, “85% of positions are filled with personal or professional connections, and 35% of the people said that they got their current job thanks to their professional connections.”

Informational interviewing is a great way to learn more and position your job search successfully. Here are 5 tips for successful informational interviewing.

1) Create a list of people to reach out to

You can track these connections and conversations in Excel or tealhq, a jobseekers resource center, which will help you stay organized, track your insights, and see your research progress.

2) Get clear on where you need more information

Informational Interviews are helpful to learn about industry dynamics, company cultures, ways to position your resume and cover letter for particular applications, and potentially have someone put in a good word for you when you are applying for a job. Some companies even have incentives for employee referrals.

Here are example informational interview topics:

–   Gain feedback on strengths from people who know you well, especially if you have been with the same company for 5+ years.

–   Share your strengths and gain information about job titles and appropriate job levels to pursue given your experience, company size, and industry dynamics.

–   Identify potential target companies and organizations based on your career values or target industry.

3) Research beforehand

When someone agrees to meet with you, research them on LinkedIn, the organization where they work(ed), and any related information such as salaries, values/mission (usually on the website), glassdoor, and look up the organization on news outlets. This will help ensure you aren’t wasting their time asking things you could have found out on your own.

4) Prepare your basic message and questions

Write a basic message about your strengths and what you want in your next role. You can customize this based on whom you are meeting if you have a few potential directions you would like to go.

Example you could pull from your resume qualification summary:

I bring 12 years designing products for large corporations and small businesses as well as brand consulting with a focus on the outdoor industry. I have been targeting Marketing Coordinator and Brand Manager roles, and would really love to work for a local organization to help me build community. 

• What types or product/brand/marketing roles do you see in organizations you work with?
• What do you look for on resumes when you are hiring someone in a brand/marketing role?
• What companies or organizations in the outdoor industry are located here besides x, y, and z?
• Do you know someone at x organization who might be willing to connect with me to learn more?
• Would you be willing to keep an eye out if you see a product role that may match my resume?

5) Drive the conversation and keep time

You want to build rapport, ask well crafted questions without asking for a job, and if the conversation is going well, be sure to check in when your agreed upon time is ending. You may want to say, “Our 20 minutes is about up, and I’m really enjoying what you’re sharing, could you take another few minutes?” And respect their response.

6) Don’t expect everyone to say yes

Track your outreach and messaging and set a goal such as reaching out to 3 people a day or week. I have experienced strangers willing and honored to share. Alternatively, I have reached out to people I knew and thought they would respond right away, yet didn’t hear from them for a year. It’s usually not about you. People are more likely to give you their time if it’s a referral, so be sure to ask each person you speak with for an introduction to someone else who might be able to help and might be willing to have an informational interview with you.

7) Always say thank you

People who don’t know you will be willing to spend a few minutes to help out someone who is genuine and respectful, so appreciate their generosity and thank them both at the end of the meeting and again when you complete the tasks or outreach that came out of the interview.

Informational interviewing can be a helpful way to shorten your job search by allowing you to gain the information you need to clarify your target job title and organization, position and/or streamline your resume and cover letter for applications, and even potentially create familiarity with the company to which you are applying.

When you try out these tips beyond a great resume, let me know how it goes!

You can message me on LinkedIn.

If you need help crafting your personal basic message or what to say to people when you reach out and ask for an informational interview, you are welcome to book a session with Ursala. I can also help you with resume writing, cover letter writing, job search coaching, LinkedIn profiles, or job interview preparation.

If you know how to network and facilitate informational interviews, yet you’re just not doing it, you might want to learn more about a Weekly Support Hub for Procrastinators/ADHD starting February 7, 2023, with Vicki Lind, MS. You can learn more at her website, Move Ahead with Vicki.