Hilary Chung: Walking Through Informational Interviews
It might feel overwhelming to reach out to people you don’t know especially when you’re starting off the informational interview process. Here are some tips you can use to prepare yourself for an informational interview and leave a good impression.
Informational interviews are a good way to get your foot in the door, so it is important to be prepared. Do research on your interviewee’s organization, industry, and prepare open-ended questions.This will enable you to ask questions that aren’t on the surface level and reflect that you are a person who has genuine interest in their work. Additionally, you should prepare a brief introduction (~1 minute) about yourself allowing your interviewee to know your education and work experience a bit better, establish some commonalities, and understand what you are looking for.
Your preparation gets you ready for your interview. Be sure to give a brief overview of yourself and ask questions. It is crucial to actively listen to your interviewee, as it can inspire thoughtful follow-up questions and help you in the following steps of the informational interview process. Besides, this is a two-way interaction with your contact; holding the conversation, asking questions, and projecting positive energy will show that you are someone who is easy to talk to. It is also good to be mindful of your contact’s time, and try to keep your conversation within the agreed upon period, as they have taken some time out of their day to speak with you.
Send a follow up thank you email to express your gratitude to the person you interviewed. The notes that you jotted down during the interview can transform into 2-3 insights you can include in your email. Last but not least, don’t forget to connect with them on Linkedin with a personalized note if you haven’t!
Good Luck!
If you have any internship or career search questions, please email careerconsultant@scu.edu.