What is Informational Interviewing?
An informational interview is a conversation that provides you an opportunity to seek insight on a career path, industry, or organization from a professional in the field. It also provides a chance to intentionally expand your professional network by meeting someone new and building connections. Informational interviews are different from an employment interview and should not be used to ask for an internship or job.
What are the benefits of conducting informational interviews?
- Discover and learn about career paths you did not know existed
- Grow informed about the realities of working in a field or position.
- Gain insight about the culture or roles at an organization.
- Intentionally expand your professional network.
Follow these four steps to conduct an informational interview
1. Identify Your Network
The first step of conducting an informational interview is to identify individuals in your personal network such as relatives, friends, peers, coworkers, professors, or mentors and prepare to contact them. Leveraging your network is a helpful place to start as you may have more success contacting individuals and employers with whom you already have a connection. Establishing your network takes time and your network will continue to grow throughout your career.
Learn More About Step 12. Reach Out
The next step is to make initial contact with the person you hope to interview via phone, e-mail, or an online message on LinkedIn or Husker Connect. Include a sentence or two summarizing who you are and explain your purpose for contacting the individual. Then, ask if they are willing to meet with you. Informational interviews can last 20-60 minutes depending on the amount of time both individuals have and what information you hope to gain.
Learn More About Step 23. Prepare for the Interview
After securing an individual with whom to meet, confirm a date, time, location and contact information. Next, research the person by looking at their LinkedIn profile or review the employer’s website if the purpose of your meeting is to gain information about a specific position or the organization. Then, develop a list of questions to ask during the conversation.
Learn More About Step 34. Follow Up
Follow up by sending a thank you message expressing appreciation for the person’s time and refer to something specific in your conversation you found helpful. Effective networking is about building a relationship over time, and this only happens by keeping in touch with your professional contacts regularly.
Learn More About Step 4Step1: Establish Your Network
The first step of conducting an informational interview is to identify individuals in your personal network and prepare to contact them. Leveraging your network is a helpful place to start as you may have more success contacting individuals and employers you have a connection with opposed to someone with whom you have no connection. Whether you recognize it or not, you already have connections you can utilize in the process to help you find a professional with whom to connect, including:
- Professional associations, community organizations, and student organizations.
- Family, friends and relatives
- Professors, career coach, advisors and previous employers
- Employers at networking events, career fairs, or other academic presentations
- Alumni through the Nebraska Alumni Association's and College of Business' LinkedIn groups
- Husker Connect
- Other peers' networks
- Indirect networking
You have made important connections through involvement in clubs and other activities. Your peers may have a relative or friend with which they could connect you.
Helpful Tip!
Don't be afraid to ask the questions, "Do you know someone who works in _____ industry?" or "Do you know someone who would know something about _____?
LinkedIn also has a variety of features to find professionals and get connected to those you already know. You can use the search function to research professionals in a certain location and/or industry with a specific job title. Additionally, you can use the "Find a Alumni" tool to figure out where UNL alumni have ended up working.
Organize your connections and assess your network using a chart like this one:
| Assess Your Network: Family Members | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contact Name | Relationship/Occupation of Contact | Email Address | Phone Number | How can I use this contact to further my network? |
| Example: John West | Uncle, Accounting Manager | jwest535@___.com | 402-555-5555 | Will ask if he could connect me to any of his co-workers for an informational interview |
| Assess Your Network: Friends | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contact Name | Relationship/Occupation of Contact | Email Address | Phone Number | How can I use this contact to further my network? |
| Example: Siti Nora | Roommate | sitinora@___.com | 402-555-5555 | Siti's father works at KPMG-I will ask if she could introduce him to me |
| Assess Your Network: Professors | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contact Name | Relationship/Occupation of Contact | Email Address | Phone Number | How can I use this contact to further my network? |
| Example: Jane Doe | Professor in Accounting | jdoe@___.com | 402-555-5555 | Ask for advice for potential career paths and organizations; has a large network of industry professionals |
| Assess Your Network: Extended Connections | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contact Name | Relationship/Occupation of Contact | Email Address | Phone Number | How can I use this contact to further my network? |
| Example: Annie O'Shea | Alumni of sorority, Marketing Executive | annieoshea@___.com | 402-555-5555 | Annie is very involved in the Lincoln Young Professional group and has many professional contacts-I will ask if she has any contacts who work in accounting. |
Step 2: Reach Out
Once you have assessed your network, the next step is to identify a professional with whom to make contact.
Identify Contacts
Determining who you should reach out depends on the information you hope to gain. However, if the idea of reaching out to someone that you do not know is intimidating, consider the following:
- Your personal network
- Your extended network (warm contacts)
- University alumni
- Cold calls
As you make your way further down the list of ways to identify contacts, the likelihood of receiving a response from someone decreases. A best practice would be to focus the majority of your outreach on people you know personally or with whom you have a direct connection.
Reach Out
After identifying a contact, connect with the person you hope to interview via phone, e-mail, or an online message on LinkedIn or Husker Connect. Include a sentence or two summarizing who you are and explain your purpose for contacting the individual. Then, ask if they are willing to meet with you. Informational interviews can last anywhere from 20-60 minutes depending on the amount of time both individuals have and what information you hope to gain.
Determine When to Move On
Not every request you send for an informational interview will result in a response. Steve Dalton’s 3B7 Routine from “The 2-Hour Job Search” provides great advice on when to move to your next contact.
Key Tips When Reaching Out
Contacting professionals for informational interviews can feel intimidating and overwhelming. Keep these tips in mind to make the process easier:
- Develop a tracking sheet
- Keep it short and simple (no more than 100-150 words)
- Identify some type of connection first
- Do not mention that you are looking for an internship or job
- Create a strategy for following up
Steve Dalton’s 3B7 Routine
- After you send your initial outreach email, set two reminders - for 3 and 7 business days.
- If you have not received a response after 3 business days, send a follow-up message to your first contact and an initial outreach message to the next contact on your list.
- Seven business days after your initial outreach email to your first contact, send another follow-up.
- If you do not receive a response after your seventh day follow-up, remove the contact from your list.
- Continue this process as you work through your contact list.
Sample Scripts
LinkedIn Script
Dear Parker Davis:
I am a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln interested in sales. I found your profle through the Nebraska College of Business group on LinkedIn and would love to connect to learn more about the sales field. Would you be willing to take 30-60 minutes in the next two weeks to meet with me about the profession? Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Riley Greene
Email Script
Dear Ms. Smith:
My name is Alicia Zimmerman, and I am a student in the College of Business at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Currently I am majoring in marketing and exploring career opportunities in the publishing field. As part of my exploration, I was hoping to complete an informational interview to learn more about this career and determine if it is a good ft for me.
I got your contact information by speaking with your organization’s recruiter at the Employer in Residence booth earlier this month, and am interested in the work you are doing at R & R Publishing Company. Would you be willing to speak with me either in-person or through Zoom for 15-30 minutes about your job and career path? I hope to complete an informational interview in the next three weeks. Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
Alicia Zimmerman
alicia.zimmerman@unl.edu
402-555-5555
Phone Script
Student:
Hello, may I speak to Mr. McNeil?
Receptionist:
May I ask who is calling?
Student:
My name is Ryan Baldwin, and I am a sophomore business student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Receptionist:
Please hold.
Contact:
Hello, this is John McNeil.
Student:
Hello, Mr. McNeil. My name is Ryan Baldwin, and I am a sophomore business student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I am currently pursuing my degree in finance and am exploring career opportunities in the field of investment banking. My professor, Dr. Jones, gave me your name as a potential contact. I wanted to ask if I can complete an informational interview with you to learn about your career.
Contact:
Yes, that would be fine. I have some availability next week. Let’s set up a day and time.
Student:
Thank you!
Step 3: Prepare for the Interview
After securing an individual with whom to meet, confirm a date, time, contact information, and location. If you want your interview to be a success, you must be prepared. Here are the main things to know when preparing for an informational interview.
Conduct Research
Review the organization’s website and ask yourself the following questions: What strikes you about the organization? Do you resonate with their mission? Has the organization been in the news lately? What would you like to know about the culture of the organization?
Review your contact’s LinkedIn profile, if they have one. Do you have anything in common? What stands out to you about their background or experience?
Prepare Questions
Develop questions that will help you make an informed decision as to whether the occupation you are researching is one that is right for you. While you can refer to sample questions to get started, make sure to develop additional questions tailored to what you hope to learn from the conversation. Remember to write your questions down and take them with you the day of your experience. If you have an interest in working for this organization specifically, develop questions to help you gain insight into what it is like to work there.
Develop a Strategic Plan
Before you complete your informational interview, you will want to develop a plan to ensure that you present yourself professionally and have a beneficial conversation.
For phone or virtual interviews, consider the following:
- Contact the person at the scheduled time, taking into account potential time zone diferences.
- Make sure you are in a quiet location. Put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door to avoid interruptions and let your roommates know you have an informational interview scheduled.
- Have your questions, a pen and notepad, and a glass of water handy.
- Be prepared to talk about yourself in addition to learning about the individual you are interviewing. They will want to know about your background and interests.
- Listen closely to what the person is saying and how they respond to your questions. Feel free to take notes and ask follow-up questions if you are unclear about anything.
For on-site informational interviews:
- Dress appropriately. It is a good idea to ask your host about appropriate attire for the experience, but expect to wear business casual.
- Get directions to the site before your experience. If possible, take a dry run the day before to ensure you know where you are going and that your directions are accurate.
- Arrive about ten minutes before your scheduled appointment. If you arrive early, do not go in until a few minutes prior to your appointment.
- Greet everyone with a smile and a frm handshake.
- Have your questions ready and be prepared to discuss your background and interests. Informational interviews are twoway conversations; the professionals are interested in getting to know you as well. During the conversation, ask follow-up questions.
- Bring a résumé, but do not ofer it unless you are asked to share one. You want to be prepared, but not presumptuous. When fnished, thank your host for their time and ask if you can contact them in the future if you have additional questions. You may also consider asking if there are other individuals they would recommend you contact to learn more about the profession.
Step 4: Following Up
Write a Thank You Letter
Sending a timely thank-you letter after your informational interview is both smart and courteous. This thank-you can be a handwritten card or an email, but it should be sent within 24-48 hours of your meeting to express your appreciation for their time and the information given.
A few tips:
- Identify some of the key takeaways from your meeting.
- State your action steps and goals based on the conversation. What do you plan to do with the information you learned?
- Do not immediately ask for a favor.
Connect on LinkedIn
If the professional you met with has a LinkedIn account, consider connecting with them so you can follow and engage with updates they post. This will allow you to celebrate their accomplishments when they receive a promotion, congratulate a work anniversary, or start a new position.
Reflect on the Experience
After your informational interview, it is important to think about how you plan to move forward with the information you have learned. Review your notes from your informational interview, and think critically about if this is a career path you still want to pursue. If so, what are the next steps you plan to take in order to set yourself up for success professionally? If not, what aspects about this career made you decide that it was not a good ft?
Utilize Your Referrals
If the professional you met with advises you to contact other professionals in the field and provides you with their contact information, make sure to reach out to them. Then, touch base with your original contact to let them know you have done so. Do not forget to add these referrals to your Professional Contact List.
Stay in Touch
After your informational interview, refect on how you want to build and maintain this professional relationship moving forward. Is this individual someone you see as a potential mentor that you would like to meet with regularly, or are they a contact that you only see yourself connecting with every once in awhile to ensure that they will remember you in the future?
Ways to stay in touch:
- Update professional contacts on what you are up to
- Inform contacts on how their suggestions or advice have helped you
- Share a link to an article that is related to something you discussed or related to their role and interests.
However you choose to stay in touch, it is important to demonstrate that you were listening during your conversation as well as staying up-to-date on relevant industry topics.
Effective Networking
Effective networking is about building relationships over time, and this only happens by keeping in touch regularly with your professional contacts. This can take many different forms, so it is important that you keep in touch in a way that is authentic to your personality. If you let a relationship lapse, you cannot expect professionals to remember you or be willing to help the next time you have a favor you want to ask of them.
Sample Informational Interview Questions
The success of your informational interview is determined by your preparedness. Asking well-thought questions not only helps you appear professional and organized, but ensures that you are gathering useful information that can better inform your decision-making process. While the questions below can help you brainstorm options, remember that the best networking conversations are organic - not scripted.
Evaluating Majors and Careers
Wondering what you can do with your major? Learn about opportunities or gain industry knowledge with these questions:
- Tell me how you got started in this industry. What made you choose this field?
- What training, education, or related experience is required for this type of work?
- What does a day in the life of someone in this career look like?
- What skills or abilities are needed to be successful in this role?
- What did you not know before you got into this career that you wish someone had told you?
- What are some common career paths based on this major or role?
Researching Specific Organizations or Positions
Ready for the internship or job search process? Use these questions as a research tool:
- How would you describe your work environment/organization’s culture?
- How does this job ft into the department’s or organization’s structure?
- What obligation does your work put on you outside of the standard work week?
- How has your organization grown or changed in the last couple of years?
- How do you differ from your competition?
- How do most people get into this field or organization? What are common entry-level jobs?
- What skills do you think are most important to this type of position?
Exploring Graduate or Professional School
Is graduate or professional school in your future? Ask these questions to prepare:
- What influenced your decision to attend graduate/professional school?
- In this industry, when do you recommend going to get an advanced degree?
- For this role, would a _______ degree or a certificate in _______ be more beneficial?
- How did you prepare for entrance exams?
- What was your decision-making process like?
- What do you wish you would have known your frst day of graduate/professional school?
- What challenges did you face during graduate/professional school?
- How much time per week did you spend studying? Which classes do you recommend?
Making a Pivot or Career Change
Seeking to switch industries? These questions can help with your decision-making process:
- Tell me about your career path and educational background.
- How does your position ft within the organization or industry?
- What advice would you give to someone looking to work in this field?
- What do you enjoy most about the job or industry? The least?
- What opportunities for advancement are there in this field?
- I read that the salary range for this field is usually in the range of _________? Does this ft with what you have seen? (Pro-tip: Do not ask about the person’s actual salary)
Questions about Moving to a New Location
Moving out-of-state or to a new city? Ask these questions to get advice about relocating:
- What opportunities are available to young professionals?
- In what ways have you found to meet people?
- What do you enjoy most about living in (name of city)?
- How would you describe the cost of living?
- How would you describe the community?
- What is the job market like?
Ending Your Interview
Use these questions to conclude any interview:
- Would it be alright for us to stay in touch?
- Who else would you recommend that I speak with about this career?
- Can you recommend any books or podcasts that would provide more information on ______?
- Are there any professional associations you would recommend researching or joining to learn more about this industry or job function?
- What technical skills could I build to set me apart in future applications?
- Is there anyone you recommend I speak to in order to get further information on the field? May I use your name as a referral source when I contact them?