What is an Informational Interview?

By: Casey Alexandra

An informational interview is another important factor in your job search experience. You might want to know what the correct definition of informational interview, right? It is actually a casual one on one conversation with a potential employer in the industry where you have expressed a desire to follow a specific job title. One good illustration is when you have an expertise in sales and you are inclined to know if there are available positions in the marketing industry. Below are some of the tips on how to efficiently conduct a good informational interview.

1. Acquire more information about the company or a company's officer that you wish to get an informational interview with. There are online career postings of companies that you might want to look into. If you already have a specific company in mind, research on the information related to the company such as its management, the products and services it is providing and its company policies.

2. Utilize social media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn or other networking groups (alumni associations, etc.) to see who knows someone in this company you might conduct an informational interview with.

3. After identifying the right person and getting accurate information about him, you can send him a memo signifying your intent in talking to him for about half an hour. Place your name and your real intention on the note. Be truthful and straight to the point about your objective of chatting with someone who has expertise in the kind of company you want to work with. Keep in mind that you want to pinpoint how you became related through networking so he could easily identify you.

4. Once you have made him agree to an informational interview, start by presenting to him the knowledge that you have acquired by questioning him of pertinent information.

5. If you believe there may be a good fit, let the person know that the conversation has been extremely worthwhile in your search for a new career and that you are going to consider applying for the position they have available. You may find that your new contact is interested in helping you.

6. Never forget to get the person's calling card and send him a thank you letter appreciating his time talking to you.

Informational interviews can be quite an impact because you are gathering useful information and expanding your network. By putting yourself in opportunities like this, you are slanting the playing field in your favor to land that next job. Good luck in setting up your first informational interview!

Reprinted from: Communication Skills Articles.

With the number of people competing for a job today, conventional methods may no longer work. What you need is to do something different like informational interview. You can get blow-by-blow details at seanmccaffrey.com/informational-interview/.

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