How to ask for an informational interview

They are a great way to learn more about an organization or industry, broaden your network and practice your interview skills. This week, I’ll tackle the issue of informational interviews. @SarahJewell asked on Twitter: “Hi Kate. What’s the best way to request an informational interview (in HQs) in order to learn about possible career pathways?” An informational interview can help professionals better understand the skills, experiences and strategies they need to succeed in their chosen career path. It can also be a way to eliminate potential career paths they are considering. And while this shouldn’t be the primary goal, it can open up the door for future job opportunities. Here are some tips for securing — and making the most out of — informational interviews: Send an email rather than call When you are approaching someone you do not know, I think email is the best tool. It seems that most phone calls these days go to voicemail and it’s unlikely that your informational request will be a high priority on someone’s list of phone calls to return. Cold calling can come across as too “salesy” and pushy. You could try calling an organization’s main line to help find out who you may want to contact at the organization, but then follow up with an email. Sending an email is also a way to show the persons you are contacting that you respect their time and do not expect them to drop what they are doing and talk to you. Don’t just focus on the HR or recruitment office Recruiters and HR professionals, particularly in the international development industry, typically have very demanding schedules. They may be working on several proposals with fast turnaround deadlines, trying to urgently replace a staff member who left mid-project in the field or trying to mobilize multiple consultants to respond to a humanitarian crisis — often all at the same time. And conducting an informational interview will almost always fall last on their list of priorities. Not to mention, HR officers and recruiters are often flooded with informational interview requests, making it even harder for you to stand out. Instead of or in addition to that, reach out to someone in the department you are most interested in. If you are interested in a career in maternal and child health, find out who in the organization specialize in that area and contact them. Chances are they are getting far fewer requests for informational interviews and will not suffer from interview fatigue like a recruiter. Recruiters spend their days conducting interviews — adding yet another, and one that won’t help them fill one of their current openings — can be a hard sell. But professionals who don’t interview as much might welcome the chance to break up the monotony of their day to talk with you. And professionals who are actually doing the work you are interested in will likely have more tailored advice to give. Get introduced Your chances of getting a response will be much greater if someone the recruiter or potential hiring manager knows introduces you, whether it is a friend of a friend or someone in your alumni network. When you are networking and meeting people, for an informational interviews or otherwise, ask them who else you should talk to and see if they can help make an introduction. Do not ask for a job The purpose of an informational interview is not to land a job. And if you frame your request this way, you will likely not get a response. People will be hesitant to talk to you if they think they will be pressured to hire you for a job that does not exist. Flattery goes a long way Instead of selling yourself as a potential candidate — which is likely to work about as well as a telemarketer calling you out of the blue to sell you a vacuum cleaner — explain why you want to learn about them. What is it about their career and background that you admire? While most busy professionals do not relish taking an hour out of their day to hear about your career goals, many will be flattered to talk about their own career path. Be appreciative and respectful of their time This may go without saying, but you would be surprised how many people can be quite demanding in their tone and requests for other people’s time. Almost nobody has informational interviews as one of their core job duties. So if they take the time to do one for you, this is in addition to their likely very full workload. In all of your communication, stress how appreciative you are of their time and if you do meet, try to keep your conversation focused and brief. If you do not hear back from someone right away, avoid following up with statements like, “I have called you three times and haven’t heard back.” This may come across as rude and entitled and will likely hurt your chances of hearing back. If you reach out a couple of times — always stressing your understating of how busy they likely are — and still haven’t heard back, then it may be time to cut your losses and move on to someone else. And chances are it is nothing personal, just that it is not a convenient time for them. Be prepared Do not go to informational interviews to just ask basic questions like, what does your organization do? That can be found on their website, and focusing on such questions is not being very respectful of the persons’ time. Ask them about their career path and how they got to where they are now, what they wish they had known earlier in their career, what other organizations or people you should talk to. People often like talking about themselves or giving their own opinions. So be prepared with that and keep the conversation flowing so that you get the most out of the opportunity. Do you have any advice for Sarah? What approaches have worked for you in securing an informational interview? If you have given informational interviews, how do you like to be approached? Please share your comments and suggestions below. Have any tips for our members on getting that first job in the field? Please leave them as comments below. Tweet me your career questions at @DevexCareers — your question may just be the focus of an upcoming Career Matters blog post. You can also subscribe to my video blog on YouTube.