Conducting Effective Informational Interviews

Happy Thanksgiving week! I truly appreciate you being a subscriber and being connected with the things I share. I hope it makes a difference for you! Please do all you can to embrace the gratitude for all you have, and share that with others this week especially!

Now, onto the juicy content…

Last article we talked about Why and How to Set Up Informational Interviews.?

This time we’re diving into how to conduct those interviews.

Preparing for Informational Interviews

Thorough preparation is key to making the most of these valuable conversations, so make sure to spend time on these key items:

1. Set a Clear Intention: Determine what specific information or insights you hope to gain from the conversation.
2. Research: Learn about the person’s background, their company, and recent developments in their industry. Check website headlines, study their LinkedIn profile or any other sources of information about them, and see if you can learn about big opportunities for the company.
3. Prepare Questions: Develop a list of thoughtful, open-ended questions. Focus on their career path, industry insights, and advice for someone in your position. More on that in the next section.
4. Practice: If you’re nervous, practice your introduction and key questions with a friend or mentor. This will reduce stress and make the actual conversation much easier.
5. Be Ready to Share: Prepare a brief overview of your background and career goals to provide context for your questions. Be ready to tell them about you and the things you are interested in.

Holding the Informational Interview

During the interview, keep these best practices in mind to make the most of the conversation:

1. Be Punctual and Professional: Treat this with the same seriousness as a job interview.
2. Start with Gratitude: Thank them for their time and briefly restate the purpose of your meeting.
3. Listen Actively: Show genuine interest in their responses and ask follow-up questions.
4. Take Notes: Jot down key points, but maintain eye contact and engagement. If you’re doing a video call or recording the conversation in some way, you might consider using an AI feature to take notes for you. At minimum, jot down notes after the meeting for things you want to remember and follow up on.
5. Respect Time Limits: Keep track of time and wrap up within the agreed-upon time frame unless they indicate they’re willing to continue.
6. Ask for Recommendations: If appropriate, ask if they can suggest other professionals you should speak with.
7. Don’t Ask for a Job: Remember, this is about information gathering, not job hunting.

One of the best ways to organize questions and the flow of an informational interview that I’m aware of comes from the book, The 2-Hour Job Search by Steve Dalton. In the book, he suggests the acronym TIARA to help us remember types of questions. TIARA stands for Trends, Insights, Advice, Resources, and Assignments.

Here are some example questions you can consider in each category:

Trends - This is a great way to start and get them feeling like an expert.

• What trends are most impacting the industry right now?
• How has your company/team/work changed most since you started?
• How do you think your industry will change/shift most in the next few years?

Insights - These questions start to get a bit more personal to their experience.

• What surprises you most about your role/company?
• What’s one of the best lessons you’ve learned on the job?
• What’s one of your most valuable experiences at your employer so far, and why?
• If you had to attribute your success at your employer to one skill/trait, what would it be?

Advice - This shifts the conversation to them being a mentor for you. You’re trying to get them to put themselves in your shoes and suggest what they would do.

• What should I be doing now to prepare myself for a career in this field?
• If I were hired, what should I be sure to do within the first 30 days to ensure I get off to the fastest start possible?
• What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you were in my position?
• If you were me, what would you be doing now to optimize your chance of breaking into this industry or function?

Resources - This gets them thinking about things they know that could be helpful.

• What resources should I be sure to look into next?
• What next steps would you recommend for someone in my situation?
• Note - if they give you contacts, make sure to update them on how things went.

Assignments - This is to gather how you might see yourself fitting into the organization.

• What project(s) have you done for your employer that you felt added the most value?
• Have any projects increased in popularity recently at your organization?
• Have you had interns or contractors in the past? If so, what sort of projects have they done?

Take questions like these, make them your own, and have a great conversation!

One more note on assignments - always leave with an assignment from them. An action to take, a person to connect with, or something to follow up on. Ideally, there should be an opportunity to have another conversation with them or someone else they suggest, because networking should lead to more networking!

Following Up and Maintaining Relationships

The conversation doesn’t end when the interview is over. Follow-up is crucial for building lasting relationships:

1. Send a Thank You Note: Within 24 hours, send a personalized thank you email expressing your appreciation and mentioning specific insights you found valuable.
2. Connect on LinkedIn: If you haven’t already, send a connection request with a personalized message referencing your conversation.
3. Act on Their Advice: If they suggested resources or contacts, follow through and let them know how it helped you. This gives you an opportunity to keep the relationship going and validates their time spent with you that you did something with what they shared with you!
4. Provide Updates: Periodically update them on your progress, especially if you’ve acted on their advice. This shows you valued their input and helps maintain the connection.
5. Offer Value in Return: Look for opportunities to share relevant articles, make introductions, or offer assistance in areas where you have expertise or connections. Remember to have a “give first” mentality!
6. Nurture the Relationship: Don’t reach out only when you need something. Build a genuine professional relationship over time.

Take Intentional Action

Hopefully after the last article, you already had an informational interview setup and scheduled. If you don’t have one set up, do that now.

Then it’s time to execute.

Follow the instructions in this newsletter to prepare, conduct, and follow up after an informational interview.?

Then, reflect on what went well and how you could improve for your next one. Follow up with this person, and choose the next person you want to talk to.

Rinse and repeat!

Accelerate Your Progress

This newsletter is an adapted excerpt from my newly released book, The Intentional Career Guide to Professional Networking.

So grab a copy of it, and if you are interested in being an early reader and becoming part of the “Book Army” to help launch it as well as the rest of the Intentional Career Guide series, sign up at https://www.intentionalcareerguide.com/bookarmy.

You can also find more related resources, courses, and more of The Intentional Career Guide at www.intentionalcareerguide.com.