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Student Information Form

Information Interviewing Handout

Purpose: To help you prepare for a discussion with an employer in your field of interest.

Contents of Handout:

Perhaps the single most versatile tool you have available in any job search is the Information Interview. We define the INFORMATION INTERVIEW as a conversation with an individual who can give you information about a field or work, an organization, of a particular job that interests you.

An Information Interview may serve any one or more of these purposes:

  1. To help you decide the field of work you want to enter
  2. To identify organizations and people where you might like to seek job interviews at a later time
  3. To help you prepare for a job interview by becoming better informed about a specific job and its responsibilities

Preparation

The best way to prepare for an information interview is as follows:

  1. Use printed materials (in the Career Exploration Center, and in general libraries) to find out everything you can about a field of work or a particular job, BEFORE considering an information interview.
  2. Decide the questions you most need answered in person--questions that you were not able to answer from printed materials.

Answer these questions, to prepare yourself for each information interview that you will be seeking:

  • Field of work I am considering ______________________________________
  • Local organizations I have identified where I may seek information interviews: __________________________________________
    __________________________________________
    __________________________________________
    __________________________________________
    __________________________________________
  • or, other individuals from whom I plan to seek information interviews __________________________________________
    __________________________________________
    __________________________________________
    __________________________________________

Questions To Ask

The following categories represent possible areas of questioning for the information interview. For at least five (5) of these categories, write a particular question you would like to ask:

Example: where employed -- "Does your company have branches in Colorado?"

problems of job -- "How much pressure is there in news reporting?"

Questions I want to ask in the information interview:

  • Field of work
  • Credential Requirements
  • Nature of work
  • Where employed
  • Earnings
  • Advancement potential
  • Related fields of work
  • Personal responses
  • Rewards of the job
  • Problems of the job
  • Skills developed
  • Advancement potential
  • Uncertainties of the job
  • Greatest disappointments
  • Greatest surprises
  • Specific job
  • Major responsibilities
  • Key problems
  • Criteria for hiring
  • Academic requirements
  • Nature of the work
  • Resources available to do the job
  • Training opportunities

Setting Up An Information Interview

  1. Get the telephone number of the organization where you would like to do an information interview. Call and ask for the name of the person with whom you would like to speak ("Who is head of the ________ department?")
  2. Telephone the person you want to talk with. If he/she is not available, ask for someone else who works in that department.
  3. Say to this person: "I am interested in the kind of work that your organization does, and would like to know more about it. I am not looking for a job. Instead, I need information and possibly advice about how to get into this field and what the work is like. Could I meet with you at your convenience to ask a few questions?"
  4. If this person cannot meet with you, ask him/her if someone else in the department would be willing to talk with you.
  5. Note: You can also request information interviews IN PERSON. The more informal the organization (smaller firms tend to be less formal), the more likely you might get an information interview on a walk-in basis.

Guidelines For The Interview

  1. When you seek an information interview, make it clear that you are not looking for a job. If the person believes you are trying to get a job interview in a sneaky way, he/she will be reluctant to talk with you.
  2. Do not use the information interview as an opportunity to push your resume onto someone.
  3. The information interview is an opportunity for a pleasant, informal conversation in which the person acquaints you with his/her field of work and specific job responsibilities. It is also a chance for you to ask for advice about the best ways to enter this field.

The guidelines above may seem obvious, but they are necessary, because sometimes people misuse or even abuse the concept of an "information interview". People in the working world are familiar with information interviewing by now, so they expect you to be prepared, respectful of their time, and honest in your intentions. As long as you follow these guidelines and those on the next page, you will have a lot of useful conversations and will make some contacts along the way.

  1. Get as much information as you can about the field or the job from printed materials BEFORE you seek an information interview. Ask only those questions that you could not have answered from printed materials.
  2. Know the specific questions that you want to ask. Have these questions written down, so you can locate them easily (it is OK to have notes with you).
  3. 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, so that you can approach less familiar people later.
  4. 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 have asked, move to another question without pursuing the first one.
  5. Listen attentively. Do not interrupt even when a different question occurs to you while he/she is talking.
  6. Ask only those questions which are most important to you. You may not have time to ask the others.
  7. Ask for references to other people and/or materials that can extend your search for relevant information.

Benefits

  1. You will gain much confidence after completing several information interviews. We promise you! Confidence gains are the single most reliable result of information interviews, regardless of the student or desired field of work.
  2. The people you interview will sometimes recommend you to others, thereby obtaining you additional information interviews.
  3. You will gain valuable information and insights which you need to decide among career or job possibilities.
You may even hear about some job openings while you are information interviewing, because the word-of-mouth network is always strong, and some people will try to help you with tips about job vacancies.