What Is Informational Interviewing?

And should you really do it?

Although it has an imposing name, informational interviewing is nothing more than talking to people to gather more information about a particular job. It is a critical part of your research and job-search process, and it’s the best way to find out if a job is actually of interest to you.

Talking to people will give you information that you cannot learn from reading. You might ask people about what they do, their career path, their industry, or their company. Most people want to be helpful, and many people enjoy speaking to others about what they know.

If you are interested in learning more about a certain career path or what it is like to work for a particular company, you need to find people who know something about those things. Ask everyone you know for introductions to people who could give you the kind of information you are looking for. Ask every person you speak with to help you find additional people to speak with. The process of talking to as many people as possible can help you narrow down what you want to do.

People often ask me how to contact someone for an informational interview. For most people, sending them an e-mail, if you have their address, is fine. If not, a telephone message will work just as well. If you got their name and contact information from someone else, say, “So-and-so suggested I call you. I am looking for information about [job or company], and I was wondering if we could find some time to have a conversation.”

If someone doesn’t respond to your request, don’t take it personally. Just contact the next person. Through the process, you will learn quite a bit that will help you decide what you want to do, and you will begin to build your own career network.