Networking Strategies – What is an Informational Interview? : Keppie Careers by Miriam Salpeter

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Networking Strategies – What is an Informational Interview?

Published on January 20th, 2008
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If you haven’t read my previous posts about Networking, click on NETWORKING in the Categories section to your right!

One of the best networking strategies is to conduct many informational interviews.

What is an informational interview?
This is just is a fancy way of saying a meeting with someone who may be able to share insights or information with you that could help in your job search.

You seek out the contact and issue an invitation to meet.
You conduct the interview. You ask the questions to help you learn about your potential career or organization.
You decide what you need to know and tap the hidden job market.
You draw conclusions.
This is NOT a job interview.

Why do informational interviews?
Informational interviews are the best ways for you to learn about an organization and/or gain insight and expertise from a professional whose opinion you value. Other benefits include:

Everyone you meet becomes a member of your network.
Your job prospects multiply exponentially!
You may discover jobs that are not publicly advertised.
If you endear yourself to someone, they are likely to think of you if a job becomes available. People like to help others, especially if they had a good connection. The more strong connections you make, the more friends you have in your field.

Stay tuned for more about informational interviews!

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