Exploring Careers
Information Interviewing
What is an Information Interview?
An information interview is a conversation with a professional who can give you information about an organization, a field of work or a particular job that interests you. An information interview may assist you in the career decision-making process by helping you to:
• Reality test whether a career field interests you
• Build a sense of confidence and poise in dealing with professionals in the industry
• Challenge personal biases or assumptions about specific jobs/careers
• Discover career paths you did not know existed
• Establish a professional network that can contribute to future success
• Find out what motivates you in terms of the world of work
• Identify organizations where you could seek job interviews or internships
• Prepare for job interviews by becoming better informed about a specific job
How Do I Begin?
Advanced preparation is key when beginning the process of information interviewing. For each of the following steps the Career Exploration Center Library will have resources to support your goals.
STEP ONE: SELF-ASSESSMENT
• Identify your values, interests, personality, and skills.
• Identify your career goals. These may become clarified after a few practice interviews.
• Make an appointment with a CEC counselor if you would like some assistance in identifying or discussing your career goals.
STEP TWO: MAKE A LIST OF ORGANIZATIONS/PEOPLE TO INTERVIEW
This list will include the individuals, companies and organizations that best match the values, interests personality, and skills you explored in step one. Make use of the Texas Exes Career Network (www.texasexes.org/careernet) and the Faculty Contacts Program at the Career Exploration Center to compose your list.
STEP THREE: RESEARCH THE COMPANY/ORGANIZATION
Become familiar with the company/organization on a cursory level. This knowledge will help you develop a list of questions and it will display your initiative. Ways in which you can gain information about a company include:
• Check for a website. Most companies have their corporate profiles and mission statements listed online. Be familiar with the services they provide.
• Some colleges' career services have company profiles specific to their industry (utexas.edu/employment/ students.html).
• A reference librarian at the Perry Castaneda Library (PCL) can help you access company and organization profiles online and at the PCL.
STEP FOUR: COMPOSE A LIST OF QUESTIONS
• Gear your questions to fit your personal exploration needs
• Ask questions that will yield answers you can use
• Be FLEXIBLE -- answers you receive may spawn ideas for new questions
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The following examples represent possible categories of questioning for the information interview:
Job Duties "Please describe a typical workday."
Future Potential "How would you describe or estimate future growth for this field?"
Training/Education "What is the best type of educational preparation or internship?"
Job Stress "How much pressure is there in news reporting?"
Earnings "What is the typical starting salary? After a few years?"
Location "Does your company have branches in Colorado?"
Below are some additional categories and "idea generators" for developing your question list:
FIELD OF WORK
Credential requirements
Nature of the work
Where employed
Benefits
Advancement potential
Related fields of work
PERSONAL RESPONSES
Rewards of the job
Challenges of the job
Skills developed
Advancement potential
Uncertainties of the job
Greatest disappointments
SPECIFIC JOB
Major responsibilities
Advice for students
Criteria for hiring
Academic requirements
Resources available to do the job
Training opportunities
STEP FIVE: SET UP THE INTERVIEW
• Before making the initial contact, review the information gathered in the research section.
• Set up the information interview by calling, or writing a letter or e-mail to the interviewer. These methods for contacting the interviewer are equally acceptable, so you do what feels most comfortable to you. Find out who is the contact person by asking the receptionist or human resources representative, or from the data you have collected in Step Three (Researching the Company/Organization).
• If you choose to use the telephone, the following is an example of what you might say:
Hello, my name is . I am a student at UT and I am considering pursuing a career
in your field. I am not looking for a job at this time. However, it would be helpful if we could meet at your convenience so that I may ask you a few questions about how to get into your field and what it's like."
• If you opt for the letter or e-mail approach it is important that the correspondence be professional and to the point. The message of the letter or e-mail should be similar to the telephone example above.
• Be prepared with a schedule to arrange the meeting date, time, location and other data.
• After the interview, send a thank you note. See the example on the last page.
Key Tips:
• Make it clear that you are not looking for a job and do not use this as an opportunity to push your resume.
• Get as much information as you can about the field or the job from other resources, i.e. printed materials and online resources, before you seek an Information Interview. Ask only those questions that you could not have answered using other resources.
• Know the specific questions that you want to ask. Have questions written down and take notes!
• Have your first information interviews with people who are easy to contact, either because you know them or because they are easily available. This will help you get accustomed to the process.
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your future in focus
• Do not assume that people will take a lot of time to talk with you. Be respectful of their time.
• If he or she resists a particular question you ask, move to another question without pursuing the first one.
• Listen attentively. Do not interrupt even when a question occurs to you while the interviewer is talking.
• At the close of the information interview ask for references to other people who can extend your exploration. You can wait to do this in your thank you note if they seem hesitant.
Thank-You Letters
Never underestimate the value of a thank you letter or phone call. It is well worth the effort. You may influence a future hiring decision by demonstrating that you already have a sense of professionalism. Even when future employment potential is low, a simple thank you note can build upon your network and gain contacts that will benefit you later.
If you met with more than one person, it is suggested that you write to each one. Make sure to use their business card or check for an online employee directory to ensure proper spelling of names. The thank you letter is usually typed (or legibly hand-written) on good quality stationery. These letters do not have to be long, but mention some information in particular that you learned from the interview. Send the thank you letter as soon as possible.
The following is an example of a professional thank you letter:
Your street address
City, State, Zip
DATE
Name of Person Interviewed
Title
Organization
Street Address
City, State Zip
Dear Mr./Ms. Surname:
Thank you for taking the time to talk with me yesterday. It was very helpful to hear your take on the prospects of a career in
I found it particularly interesting that you have seen jobs open up faster than they can be filled. This should be a good sign for finding a job upon graduation. I also appreciate the emphasis you placed on graduate-level education; I now have a clearer focus for my application to a master's program.
Again, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to speak with you. If you know of any other people who would be willing
to discuss their experience with graduate programs in , could you forward me their contact information? Any
additional perspectives would be useful.
Sincerely,
(your signature)
Your Name Typed
www.utexas.edu/student/cec
512.471.1217
Jester A115
career exploration center
your future in focus