Should You Even Be Doing Informational Interviews in a Pandemic?

In the midst of any career transition, the wisdom and inside knowledge of the professionals in your network can be invaluable. That’s why informational interviewing is a key part of any job search.

But how can you go about reaching out to contacts for informational interviews in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic? If you, like so many other professionals, have found yourself thrust back into the job market in these unprecedented times, it can be hard to know what aspects of your job search should be “business as usual.“

We spoke to with our Talent Acquisition team to get their thoughts on informational interviewing best practices and how those should be adjusted during the pandemic. We’re hoping their advice proves useful as you seek out your next challenge!

Make it Personal

Especially now, informational interviewing is not a time to cast a giant net. With people juggling all kinds of emotional and logistical challenges related to the pandemic and working at home, this is a time to focus on contacts you know well. Before anything else, do some online research on LinkedIn and elsewhere to identify who in your immediate network might be in a position to offer insight or make a high-value introduction. If that yields nothing, and especially if you’re just starting out in your career, consider turning to your school’s alumni office or even to your family for introductions. If you must contact someone without a personal connection, make sure to do your research ahead of time and send them a request that specifies what you hope to discuss and mentions any shared interests or affiliations. Ideally, the person you’re interviewing should feel connected to you before you even meet.

Let Go of ‘Perfect’

Traditionally, informational interviews have consisted of a brief meeting or chat with a current employee at a company of interest to make a personal connection and learn more about potential opportunities. In normal circumstances, it’s best to identify an interviewee in your target department and at your current experience level or a few years ahead of you. In this case, it might be best to think less about the ‘perfect fit’ interviewee and instead focus on finding someone who already knows you and feels connected to you.

Be Sensitive

Unless you’re a close friend, it’s hard to know what a person’s daily life is like right now. Some professionals are homeschooling multiple kids while simultaneously trying to keep up with working from home, or may be managing health concerns related to their families or themselves. Offer your own good wishes along with your ask, and make it easy for them to say no or even “yes, but not right now.”

Find Out How You Can Help

Now more than ever, you should be going into an informational interview trying to understand what challenges the other person is facing and what goals they have, and then working to identify ways that you can help. The people you interview will appreciate it if you’re genuinely curious about them, and they’ll usually be grateful when you try to lend a hand – whether it’s by forwarding a relevant article or making a meaningful introduction. Taking this approach can turn what can be a one-sided interaction into a two-way street, and it’s more likely to result in lasting, genuine relationships.

Don’t Make it About a Job

Sure, you’re doing informational interviews in the hopes of shaping your future career and identifying opportunities. But an informational interview is about building your network and knowledge – not getting your resume onto a desk in HR. Be open with your interviewee about what you’re looking for, but leave it to them to offer to make an introduction. Stick to questions like “Knowing what you know about me, how can I position myself to land a job at your company?” and “What do hiring managers at your company look for and what can you tell me about the hiring process?” Given the current circumstances, it would be wise to also ask your interviewee about how they expect the current disruption to impact both hiring and operations going forward.

Be Prepared

Most people have only 15-30 minutes to spend on an informational interview, so it’s essential not to waste precious time asking questions you could have already answered with some online research. Learn as much as you can about your interviewee ahead of time: Look through their LinkedIn and social media accounts; read up on their professional accomplishments; and learn what you can about the work their department is doing. Think through which questions you want to ask, and know which ones are the most important. Then, during the actual video call, keep an eye on the clock and make sure to offer to wrap up within the allotted window. If you’re having a great conversation, wonderful! But let your interviewee be the one to decide to keep chatting.

Follow Up

It’s always good to say thank you, but your follow-up note (sent via email or LinkedIn) should accomplish far more than that. After an informational interview, you can use your follow-up note to give your new connection more context about you than may have fit into your brief chat. This is a good time to share more about your background and attach a résumé. Rather than asking your connection to take action on your behalf, make the note a “soft nudge.” If you know of a specific role you’re interested in you can mention that, and then leave it up to them to decide where to go from there.

How are you handling informational interviewing during the pandemic? Please lend other job seekers a hand by sharing your thoughts and experiences in the comments, and follow us here on LinkedIn for more helpful advice from our Talent Acquisition team.