Vanderbilt Career Center

A great way to find out if you would like a particular job/career/life direction is to ask someone who is already doing that type of work. Sitting down with an industry professional and asking what they think about their job or industry can provide you with an insider's perspective, a stronger network, and can sometimes lead to tips about job opportunities.

An informational interview is simply talking with professionals who are currently in occupations and/or industries you are considering in order to gain information and insights about a career, industry, or organization. This information can be used in choosing a major, exploring career options, or preparing for a summer or professional job search. Be clear with yourself and the professional you are interviewing that this is not a job/internship interview or a request for a job/internship.

Informational interviews are an important part of career preparation and a good supplement to your academic knowledge because they can provide:

• 'Real world' information about careers
• Suggestions on how to use your college years to gain experience and prepare for the job search
• A network of contacts for your job/internship search
• Insights into what employers look for in candidates
• An avenue to explore potential job search questions like: 'Why did you choose this field?' or 'What are your skills for this job?'

Preparing for the Informational Interview

Before you request the valuable time of a professional, do your research to learn as much information about the career or industry as you can so that you can ask more in-depth questions and make better use of the time you have with that person.

If you are just beginning to sort through career options, you may want to speak with a Career Coach at the Career Center to better define which careers you most want to explore. If you have never visited the Career Center, you can get started by completing the online ICAP form and come in during our Coaching Assessment hours. If you are a regular visitor to The Career Center, you can make an appointment with a Career Coach by calling 322-2750.

If you clearly know which careers you want to explore and why they interest you, you can begin to research those careers and their fields by utilizing our online resources such as Vault , professional association websites, and our print resources located in the Career Center.

Informational interviews can be conducted with people you already know or with professionals referred to you through informal contacts: faculty, family, friends, alumni, professional associations, and the Career Center staff. You may want to consult the Alumni Relations Office website about events of Vanderbilt Alumni organizations and other opportunities for networking. To identify other leads, consider browsing recent and back issues of the Vanderbilt Alumni Magazine, which contains alumni career information. VUconnect is an online community of Vanderbilt Alumni many of which have volunteered to share career advice.

In arranging for an informational interview, contact individuals at least a week ahead of time, either by telephone or email or through an introductory letter followed up by a call, to arrange an appointment. The interview can be conducted in person or by phone, but let the interviewee make that decision. Ask the interviewee for about a half hour of their time and always clarify your objective - that you are seeking information rather than a job or internship. Respect the time you asked for and end the meeting on time. You may want to read a sample dialogue requesting an informational interview.

The Interview Itself:

Prepare the questions that you want to ask ahead of time. The following general information interview questions pdf will give you a place to start. However, after researching information about the particular job and field of the interviewee, you should be able to develop specific questions.

Having them in writing and taking some notes is fine. Preparation, promptness, and staying on target are important, because after all, the person you are interviewing is doing you a favor. Because you initiated the contact and have some control over how the interview goes, keep your purpose in mind and get your questions answered. You'll find that people love to talk about themselves and their careers and may likely digress.

At the conclusion of your meeting, ask for two or three names of other people to contact for informational interviews so that you can begin building your 'network.' Confirm permission to use the current interviewee's name when contacting the referrals.

You can read a sample informational interview dialogue to see how all the pieces fit together. It also important to stay organized. Our Contact Record Form can help you in this organization.

After the Interview:

Immediately following the meeting, go to the nearest relaxation spot, take out paper or a contact record form, and debrief yourself. Analyze the interview. Think about the information that you obtained and evaluate it objectively. Ask yourself the following:

• Did I get answers to questions I needed to have clarified?
• What did I leave out?
• What new questions do I have?
• Do I feel caught up in the enthusiasm of this person?
• Do I need to see more people to obtain a more objective opinion?
• What characteristics did this person have that I need to or want to develop?
• What ideas for future career advancement strategies did I obtain?

The most important follow-up to the meeting should be mailing a letter to thank the individual for his/her time and assistance. Keep a record of your people you interview since you may later want to contact them for additional advice.

What to do if the informational interview turns into a job interview:

This may occur if the interviewer likes you and feels you would be an asset to his/her organization. How do you handle that kind of possibility? You have several alternatives:

• If you are comfortable and prepared, you can accept the job interview on the spot and play it by ear.
• If you are not prepared for a job interview at the time, you can honestly state that your purpose today is to obtain information, thank the person, and make an appointment for a later date for a job interview.
• You can thank the person and state that you will contact him or her at a later date since you are currently considering other job offers.

Whatever you choose to do, be definite in your answer and follow through with what you decide to tell the person.

Resources

• Research
• ICAP form
• Coaching Assessment
• Vault
• Alumni Relations Office website
• Networking
• Vanderbilt Alumni Magazine
• Sample Informational Interview Dialogue
• General Information Interview Questions
• Contact Record Form
• Thank you note for Informational Interview