October 24, 2019 Practice Points
Informational interviews differ from job interviews, but they can lead to numerous outcomes such as job opportunities, career guidance, mentors, and more.
Many students overlook the significance of informational interviews. For example, you can learn the good and bad about working in a particular career or company and discover careers and opportunities you did not know existed. Though large networking events have benefits—I’ve had my fair share—depending on the setting you may not have much time with individuals and receive the advice you hoped to gain. Also, at these events, the person or persons you’re
interested in meeting could be pulled in numerous directions. During an informational interview, however, you’ll have time to interact with your interviewee without much interruption—unlike at a large networking event. Below I provide some guidance on informational interviews. Spend time crafting a professional email to the individuals that interest you. Below I provide a template from
themuse.com.Craft a Professional Email
Dear [first name],
My name is [your name], and I’m a [job title] who works in [your location]. I’m reaching out because [reason why you want to speak with this person]. I’d love to learn more about [two or three things you’d like to learn from the person].
I’m sure you’re busy, so even 20 minutes would be appreciated.
Thanks so much,
[Your name]
I have also provided another link with templates. Of course, everyone may not respond to your email, but stay the course and be persistent!
Come with Questions
Have some preset questions to open the conversation. Once again, here are some sample questions.
- What do you wish someone would have told you before you started this profession?
- What are your main responsibilities as a...?
- What do you like most about your work?
- What do you enjoy least about your work?
- What kinds of issues do you deal with?
Be Prepared to Answer Questions
An effective informational interview involves dialogue. With that said, some questions you should be prepared to answer. Remember, during the informational interview you’re also being interviewed.
- Why did you find the interviewee’s career interesting?
- Why interview this person rather than someone else in the field? Do they seem more knowledgeable, or took a similar path you hope to follow?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Why are you interested in this field?
Informational interviews differ from a job interview, but these interviews can lead to numerous outcomes such as job opportunities, career guidance, mentors, and more.
Leonard Wills is a presidential management fellow in Washington D.C.
Copyright © 2019, American Bar Association. All rights reserved. This information or any portion thereof may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any means or downloaded or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system without the express written consent of the American Bar Association. The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the American Bar Association, the Section of Litigation, this committee, or the employer(s) of the author(s).
They’re useful in a variety of situations including, but not limited to:
- deciding if law school is the right choice for you
- trying to figure out what area of law to focus on
- getting a job for the summer or post-graduation
In reality, “informational interview” is just a fancy way of saying “take someone out for coffee and get to know them.”
It seems complicated and intimidating, but it’s actually pretty easy to conduct great informational interviews!
Let’s get to it!
How To Conduct Great Informational Interviews
- Identify Your Target Interviewee The first step to a great informational interview is identifying the right person to talk with. The opening post in our detailed four-part series explains how to decide who to approach for an informational interview.
- How to Request an Informational Interview Once you know who you want to talk to, you have to make the ask. How should you go about it? We have strategies and templates.
- Questions to Ask in an Informational Interview Great, you've set up an informational interview! Now, what should you talk about?
- What Did You Learn? Finally, you want to reflect on the experience. What did you learn? Who should you follow up with?
Good luck, and have fun!