Information Interview
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Information_Interviewspowerpoint.pptx
Unlocking Your Career Options
Assignment Details
Write It All Up
Select 1 -2 Job Titles you are interested in pursuing.
Interview TWO contacts (scan/upload a picture of each business card).
Typed, double spaced, spell checked.
Upload assignment in Canvas.
Discuss Your Next Steps! Apply critical self analysis.
How the information has shaped your career decision?
What changes (if any) you will make to your career path?
What steps you will take to be the most prepared for this job?
How the job, as described by your interviewees, compare to your career values, skills, interests, and personality as discussed in the beginning of the course?
Critically analyze the information you gathered during your interviews.
Follow up with a thank you card. - Upload a copy of your email with complete header information. - Upload a copy of the thank you card AND the envelope showing full address information AND stamp.
Extra Credit!
Information Interviews Defined
What Is An Information Interview?
An appointment that you schedule with someone doing your target job.
To gain current, regional, and/or specialized information from an “insider” point of view.
Help you explore your possibilities.
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Works because:
Does not require that you sell yourself to an employer
Does not depend on existing job vacancies.
Why Bother With Information Interviews?
Remember, it is who you know (or get to know) that gets you a job.
Never too early to establish contacts.
Never to early to ask for other referrals (e.g., “Can you suggest some other people that I might talk to about jobs in this field?”)
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Help with choosing major/career.
“Reality check”.
Research organization or industry.
Expand professional network.
How To Set Up an Information Interview
Who To Contact For The Information Interview?
Share a common academic major, interest, or involvement in some activity or lifestyle that appeals to you.
Work in a setting that appeals to you (e.g., hospitals, textile company, colleges, airlines).
Work in career areas in which you’re interested (e.g. counseling psychologist, market researcher, public relations).
Work in specific jobs in specific organizations (e.g., counseling psychologist at a university counseling center, consumer education representative at a utility company, market researcher at IBM).
Look for those who:
How To Find Potential Contacts
Ask anyone you know for an information interview or for a referral.
Contact SF Faculty and Staff.
Career Exploration Center
SF Job Placement Services
Community service agencies, trade, and professional organizationsReview organization Web sites.
Local, state, regional professional associations
Review organization Web sites. Articles in newspapers, magazines, and journals.
Articles in newspapers, magazines, and journals.
How To Prepare
Know your interests, skills, and values and how they relate to the career field represented by the person(s) you’re interviewing.
Read about the career area and organization of the person you’ll be interviewing.
Know exactly what kinds of information you want and have a list of questions in mind.
Be aware of your given time limit and stick to it.
Ask for directions and parking information.
Setting Up Your Information Interview
Setting Up
Phone or e-mail to explain your request and obtain an appointment.
E-mail requests for appointments are most effective if followed up by a telephone inquiry to confirm an appointment time.
What To Say
Introduce yourself using a personal referral.
Explain your request to schedule an appointment for gathering information about their field of work.
Indicate clearly that you are not applying for a job at this time.
Try to schedule a 20-30 minute appointment, to be conducted by phone or in person at their convenience.
If the person you are trying to reach is not in, you can leave a message or ask when to call back.
What If They Are Too Busy?
Ask when would be a better time
Ask if he/she can suggest another contact in the organization
In person is the goal. BUT Be prepared to conduct the interview over the phone if the person.
What To Ask
Potential Questions To Ask
Background:
Tell me how you got started in this field.
What was your education?
What educational background or related experience might be helpful in entering this field?
Work Environment:
What are the daily duties of your job?
What are the working conditions?
What skills/abilities are utilized in your field?
Potential Questions To Ask
Problems:
What are the toughest problems you deal with at work?
What problems does the industry as a whole have?
What is being done to solve these problems?
Lifestyle:
What obligation does your work put on you outside the work week?
How much flexibility do you have in terms of dress, work hours, vacations?
Potential Questions To Ask
Rewards:
What do you find most rewarding about this work, besides the money?
Salary:
What salary level would a new person start with?
What are the fringe benefits?
What are other forms of compensation (e. g. bonuses, commissions, securities)?
Potential:
Where do you see yourself going in a few years?
What are your long term goals?
Potential Questions To Ask
Promotional:
Is turnover high?
How does one move from position to position?
Do people normally move to another company/division/ agency?
What is your policy about promotions from within?
What happened to the person(s) who last held this position?
How many have held this job in the last 5 years?
How are employees evaluated?
Potential Questions To Ask
The industry:
What trends do you see for this industry in the next 3 to 5 years?
What kind of future do you see for this organization?
How much of your business is tied to (the economy, government spending, weather, supplies, etc.)?
Advice:
How well-suited is my background for this field?
When the time comes, how would I go about finding a job in this field?
What experience, paid or volunteer, would you recommend?
What suggestions do you have to help make my resume more effective?
Potential Questions To Ask
Demand:
What types of employers hire people in this line of work?
Where are they located?
What other career areas do you feel are related to your work?
Hiring Decision:
What are the most important factors used to hire people in this work (education, past experience, personality, special skills)?
Who makes the hiring decisions for your department?
Who supervises the boss?
When I am ready to apply for a job, who should I contact?
Potential Questions To Ask
Job Market:
How do people find out about your jobs?
Are they advertised in the newspaper (which ones?), on the Web? by word-of-mouth (who spreads the word?) by the personnel office?
Referral to other information opportunities:
Can you name a relevant trade journal or magazine you would recommend I review regularly?
What professional organizations might have information about this career area?
Potential Questions To Ask
Referral to others:
Based on our conversation today, what other types of people do you believe I should talk to?
Can you name a few of these people?
May I have permission to use your name when I contact them?
Do you have any other advice for me?
Other questions you have in mind.
What To Do During The Interview
What To Do During The Interview
Do not exceed your requested time, but be prepared to stay longer in case the contact indicates a willingness to talk longer.
Dress as if it were an actual job interview.
Arrive early and be courteous to everyone that you meet.
Take the initiative in conducting the interview— you are the interviewer.
Ask open-ended questions.
Look around and observe the environment.
After The Interview
After The Information Interview
Your interviewee is now an active contact for your networking list.
Follow-up with a thank you card.
Thank them for their time.
Tell them something you took away from the experience.
Open the door for future contact.
Periodically re-connect with your interviewee.
Record the information that you obtained: names, comments, and new referrals for future reference.
Make appointments to interview the referrals.
After The Information Interview
Evaluate your experience.
How did you manage in scheduling and conducting the information interview?
Did you get the information you wanted? What information do you still lack?
Do you need to interview more people in order to get more than one biased viewpoint or additional information?
What are your next steps?
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