Six Steps...

Six Steps to an Effective Information Interview

  1. Know what you want to accomplish. The primary objectives of information interviewing are to:
  • Investigate a specific career field
  • Uncover areas you don't know about
  • Gain insight into what is happening in a career field and about future trends
  • Obatin information to help you narrow your options
  • Learn the jargon and important issues in the field
  • Broaden your network of contacts for future reference
  1. Identify people to interview. Here are some sources to use in developing interview contacts:
  • Personal referrals
  • Directories
  • Compare organizational listing
  • Calling organizations and asking for the name of a person who does a specific job
  • Professional associations
  • Yellow pages
  • Newspapers/periodicals
  • College departments
  1. Arrange for the interview. Here are some guidelines for setting up an information interview.
  • Obtain the name of a person
  • Explain your purpose
  • Tell why you are contacting a specific person
  • Emphasize that you are not looking for a job
  • Call early or late, when you have the best chance of talking to the individual
  • Follow up the initial inquiry
  • Be prepared for refusals
  1. Preparing for the interview. Doing your "homework" before the interview will pay off:
  • Learn as much as you can about the company
  • Research -- Research -- Research. Use company literature, annual reports, newspaper articles, etc.
  • If possible, learn something about the person you will be interviewing
  • Learn about the career in general
  • Prepare questions about person, field and organization
  • Ask questions that display your research
  • Write your questions down
  • Develop priorities -- Determine information that is most important
  • Make sure you know where the company is located and allow plenty of time to get there
  1. Conducting the interview:
  • Arrive on time
  • Restate your reason for being there
  • Develop rapport -- Ask open-ended questions
  • Let your questions show you did your homework
  • Ask the more important questions first
  • Take notes
  • Pay attention to body language -- both yours and the person being interviewed
  • Ask about alternative ways of entering the field
  • Observe the job setting and general atmosphere
  • Don't ask for a job
  • Obtain the names of other individuals whom you can contact
  1. Follow up. Good follow up is as important as good preparation.
  • Seen a thank you letter
  • Call to report on your progress
  • Keep the door open for future contacts
  • Evaluate the interview. What could you have done better?
  • If appropriate, contact the person you interviewed when you began your job search
  • Keep your notes organized -- dates, names, address, phone numbers, and important information