Informational interviews are, hands down, one of the most important things you should be doing. Not only do they expose you to helpful information about different career paths that can shed light on whether or not you want to go a certain route, but they also can help you build important contacts and form mentorships, and it’s SO easy, guys! Most people love to be asked about their jobs and to give advice, and most people will be impressed with you initiative and your willingness to reach out. You can easily do at least one informational interview per month, and soon you’ll have more contacts and more leverage than you know what to do with! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND TRYING THIS, especially if you’ve never done it before. In fact, I double-dog dare you!
The best part? All you need to do is ask a few questions and listen. No matter how shy or nervous you are, it’s a foolproof way to reach out to people and to develop relationships with the WHO in your life who increase your sense of aliveness! My friend, Isa Adney, has some GREAT guidelines and tips on how to do this below.
The following excerpt was taken, with permission, from my friend Isa Adney’s book, Community College Success. Whether or not you’re in community college (or college at all), I highly recommend this book. The tips about making contacts and conducting informational interviews were EXTREMELY valuable for me, even being six years out of college! If you’re interested in learning more about informational interviews, I recommend you read this book.
Even though I had great college success, I still found myself unemployed after graduation. Doing informational interviews… helped me get on my feet, find a job, and eventually earn how to write a book and achieve some of my biggest dreams by the age of 25. I only wished I’d started sooner.
Informational interviews consist of asking someone to share information and advice about what he does every day. You can learn more than you ever realized by asking people the questions I’ll share with you. While I think it will be incredibly beneficial for you to ask these questions of high-powered professionals in high-powered places, I believe you can learn just as much by asking new professionals and anyone in the world you admire and would like to be someday.
If you want to be a mom one day, then do an informational interview with someone who’s a good mom. If you want to be a high-powered CEO, what better way to learn how to get there than by learning from other CEOs?”
The first step is to uncover the kind of people you need to meet. Advice from a professional in any career is enlightening, but to make the most of your time and effort, it’s best to focus on meeting people in jobs or industries that interest you. If you’re not sure what kind of a job you want, that’s okay—starting somewhere with someone will make a difference and help you clarify your career aspirations.
I also conducted an interview with Isa on this very topic. I asked her who to ask for an informational interview with, what types of questions to ask, and her biggest tips for “doing it right.” Check it out below:
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