Talking with people about
their careers, or "informational interviewing," has a number of
benefits for anyone making career decisions as well as for finding
and changing jobs.
IF YOU'RE EXPLORING
& GATHERING INFORMATION ON SEVERAL CAREERS, interviewing
people in the field can give you a more specific, up to date and
personalized perspective on the careers you are considering. Aside
from actually working in a career, interviewing and observing people
in the work setting is the only way that you can "get a feel" for
whether you would like a particular work environment or not. Research
has shown that informational interviewing is rated by college students
as the most beneficial activity to help them with their career decision
making.
IF YOU'RE JOB HUNTING,
you're probably aware of how tight the job market is. Did you know,
however, that only 20% of all the job openings are advertised? This
means that you need to use contacts to tap the "hidden" job market.
Personal contact with employers and people working in the field
can also give you an enormous amount of information which will help
you when you start job hunting as well.
Whether you are exploring
careers or making connections for job hunting, you're probably feeling
nervous about contacting strangers to give you career information.
It may help you to know that people are flattered when you ask them
for advice. They enjoy talking about themselves and their work just
like you enjoy giving another student advice on which classes to
take and which to avoid. You can also allay some of your fears by
practicing your interview with a friend. The more you prepare for
your interview by following the tips from this handout, the more
relaxed you will feel.
STEPS
TO TAKE IN INFORMATION INTERVIEWING
STEP
1: Focus on you
The first step involves
putting the information interview in the context of your career
planning: What do you hope to gain from talking to someone in the
field? Since one of your purposes will probably be to pinpoint career/jobs
that will be satisfying to you, a good place to start is to define
what you mean by "satisfying." One person's "job satisfiers" may
be a chance to provide leadership, manage others, obtain power and
earn a high salary. Someone else's "satisfiers" might be a work
setting which enables him/her to be creative, work alone, and solve
problems through intuition. You may also want to think about your
strongest skills and the skills you would enjoy using in your career.
There are a number of checklists and inventories available at your
college or university's Career Center to identify your interests,
values, and skills.
•
WHAT ARE YOUR "JOB SATISFIERS?"
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•
WHICH SKILLS ARE YOUR STRONGEST AND WHICH SKILLS WOULD YOU MOST
ENJOY USING IN YOUR CAREER?
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•
DESCRIBE THE TYPE OF WORK SETTING(S) YOU WOULD LIKE TO WORK IN:
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STEP
2: Focus on careers / jobs
The next step involves
brainstorming different careers, jobs, and work settings that meet
your needs based on your self assessment in Step 1. Friends, relatives
and counselors can also help you brainstorm fields you may have
never considered before.
When you have identified
a variety of careers that spark your interests, gather written information
through reading materials on careers in your college or university's
Career Library. Professional and trade associations are also good
sources of information. Add to your brainstorming list by researching
a particular career in all of the types of organizations that hire
for that position. For example, research careers not only in physical
education, but also recreation programs in corporate and industrial
settings.
• LIST CAREERS,
JOBS AND WORK SETTINGS TO RESEARCH (KEEP ADDING TO YOUR LIST THROUGHOUT
YOUR CAREER SEARCH):
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STEP
3: Locate organizations and resource people
Start to build your network
of contacts by asking friends, relatives, professors, and past employers
if they know anybody working in your field of interest. You may
also secure names of professionals by contacting your college or
university's alumni association.
Once you have exhausted
these resources, you can begin to secure names by using the telephone
book or other directories. Contact --- in phone or in person ---
the general switchboard, personnel office or receptionist of organizations
employing people in your field of interest. Ask who is in charge
of the department that handles the type of work you are researching.
(Telephone examples are in the back of this handout). Take down
that person's name, job title, phone number and office location.
Then either write a letter
or call back to arrange an appointment with the person you have
identified. You will also wish to speak to someone who actually
works in the position of interest to you. With any of these approaches
it is important to stress you are seeking information, not a job.
Honesty here is very important.
Contacts: Name / Field
Work / Location / Phone (Home/Work)
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Organization's/Company's
Name / Address / Phone
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STEP
4: Prepare your questions
With a little preparation,
you will be able to ensure that your interview will go smoothly
and that the conversation will flow easily. Plus you'll be able
to direct the conversation to make sure all of your questions are
answered. Based on your self assessment in Step 1, prepare a list
of questions that will be useful in determining whether the particular
career, job, or work wetting will be personally satisfying. You
may also list questions which were based on or left unanswered from
your reading about the career. In preparing your questions make
an effort to keep them open-ended -- questions which require a whole
sentence to answer. It's more difficult to interview someone who
only has to say "yes" or "no" to every question.
The following questions
may give you some ideas:
- What are the different
entry level jobs in this career field?
- What do you do on
a typical day?
- What background or
experience is required or helpful?
- What aspects of this
career field do the professionals often dislike?
- What are the most
positive aspects about the work in the field?
- What courses might
be helpful for me to take to enhance my chances for employment
in the field?
- How competitive is
the job market?
- What are the salary
ranges at the entry level and higher levels?
- What is the typical
career progression in the field?
- What related fields
are available for people with backgrounds such as yours?
- What is the future
of the field in terms of new and expanding opportunities?
- What could you suggest
for someone in my situation which is....?
- With what other organizations
of people in this field do you suggest I talk?
- Resource books, articles,
professional associations that you would suggest?
If you are preparing
to enter the job market, you may also wish to ask questions such
as:
- Would you please read
my resume and offer suggestions and criticism?
- If you were going
to hire a new entry level person, what would the highly qualified
candidate be like?
- What are the major
challenges/problems that your organization is facing and would
like solutions for?
- I understand from
reading your company brochure, that after 12-15 months of training,
a ______ can be promoted to _______. What would you say is the
major quality or accomplishment which distinguishes those who
are promoted from those who are not?
Write down other questions
to ask which would enable you to learn whether you would be satisfied
with the career/job/work setting you are considering....
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STEP
5: The Interview
Dress as if you were
going to a job interview in your field. Arrive early for the interview
. . . . you may be able to learn from the receptionist and from
literature in the waiting area. Take advantage of a tour, the opportunity
to observe others at work, and/or talk to additional resource people.
You may also wish to bring your resume to obtain feedback on whether
your background is compatible with the career you are considering.
During the interview, keep an open mind and listen closely to what
is said, but also objectively evaluate your sources in considering
the information you obtained. Take a pad with you to take notes,
write down specific information for follow up as well as names of
other referrals. In ending the interview, express appreciation for
their time spent with you.
STEP
6: Follow up
Write the person you
have interviewed a thank you note, mentioning how the talk helped
you and what suggestions you plan to implement. Also, from time
to time, let them know of your progress and keep their names(s)
on file. If at some point you desire employment with the organization,
send your resume with a cover letter detailing why you were impressed
with the firm and how your skills can meet their needs.
Be sure to visit the Notre Dame Career Center for more tips on self assessment and informational interviewing!
Settle,
Wendy H. (1998). Talking with others about their careers. University
Counseling Center, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN. Created: 6-98 / Last modified 10-04
