Community Employment Resource Centre

What’s inside this issue?

õ Informational Interviews

² What Are They?

² What’s the Purpose?

² How Do I Set One Up?

² What Do I Ask?

² Tips for Success

Informational Interviews

What Are They?

Just as the name suggests, informational interviews are interviews that you set up to gather information about certain careers, companies, or fields.

What’s Their Purpose?

The purpose of these informational interviews is to obtain information, not to get a job. Unfortunately, many people conduct informational interviews with the intention of selling themselves as potential employees. As a result some employers refuse to engage in an informational interview.

Don’t give up, there are still many employers that are willing to talk about themselves, and what they do in their line of work, and the field that they are in.

There have been known cases where people that have conducted informational interviews, have made contacts or have been selected as possible candidates for job openings via the employer that they interviewed.

Following are some good reasons to conduct informational interviews:

• explore careers and clarify your career goal
• discover employment opportunities that are not advertised
• expand your professional network
• build confidence for your job interviews
• access the most up-to-date career information
• identify your professional strengths and weaknesses
• recognize gaps you need to fill to be competitive

How Do I Set One Up?

Before you start making phone calls, you should do a couple of things to prepare for the informational interviews. Follow the steps below:

1. Take some time to figure out what career or field it is that you want to explore. Determine your own abilities and interests so that you conduct an informational interview for a career or field that interests you.
2. Prepare for the interview by researching the occupation / field that you are interested in, and what is important for you to ask. Prepare your questions accordingly.
3. Determine who you would like to interview. It would be beneficial when calling an organization to ask for a person by the job title / profession you are investigating. The information you receive will be more accurate.
4. Arrange the informational interview with the employer that you have selected. You can set the interview up by telephone or a letter followed by a telephone call.
5. Conduct the interview. Arrive to the informational interview no earlier than 15 minutes before the appointment time. Dress appropriately. Ask your questions that you prepared ahead of time.
6. Don’t forget to follow up. Send the employer a Thank You note or letter to let them know that you appreciated the time that they spent with you answering your questions.

What Do I Ask?

The following are some questions that you can ask the employer when you are conducting the informational interview.

1. On an average day, what do you do in your position?

2. What do you like most about your work day? What do you like least?

3. How long have you worked in this particular position?

4. What type of education and/or training is required for this line of work?

5. What advice would you give to someone entering this field?

6. Could you refer me to other (people, organizations, resources) that would help me learn more?

In fact, you could ask any questions geared towards collecting the specific information you need.