Informational interviews are an important type of networking in which you have a conversation with an individual about their professional experience. Informational interviews are common across career sectors, and many professionals see them as a way to help students, recent graduates and those new to the field.
Connecting with professionals through informational interviews allows you to learn more about careers and organizations of interest while building relationships with people who will become your colleagues and contacts as you progress in your career.
Using Informational Interviews to Aid Your Job Search
An informational interview is a conversation you request with a professional who has a job of interest to you. The interview focuses on your questions about them, their career path and their job.
A good informational interview will help you:
- Learn relevant information about their role, organization or field
- Receive advice or suggestions
- Develop your professional network
Informational interviews are the MOST effective way to connect with people because they require very little effort on the professional’s part.
How to find people for informational interviews
There are multiple ways to find people with whom you can schedule an informational interview:
Talk to your immediate network of classmates, faculty, colleagues, friends and family
Discuss their career paths, and ask if they know other people you could contact.
Use online networking platforms
Identify and connect with professionals of interest in your extended network through networking platforms like LinkedIn or HookedIn. Make sure your profiles on these platforms reflect your experiences, skills and career interests so professionals with whom you connect can learn more about you.
LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network on the internet.
HookedIn
This is the official UT Austin social networking platform.
Attend academic and professional conferences aligned with your potential field or industry
Attend talks and professional networking events at UT and beyond
Use platforms like Meetup or Eventbrite to identify local events relevant to your potential future career path.
How to Conduct an Informational Interview
Do not ask:
“Are you hiring?”
“Can you help me find a job?”
Instead, ask about TIARA:
Trends: high-level industry information
“How is your company keeping pace with innovation in the XYZ industry?”
Insights: specific to professional and their experience
“What is the most challenging part of your job?”
Advice: personal recommendations
“What should I be doing right now to prepare myself for a career in this industry?”
Resources: information professional uses in their job
“What resources should I be looking at to learn more about this industry/function?”
Assignments: learn organization and role-specific information
“What project(s) have you done that you felt added the most value?”
Informational Interviewing Resources
How to Do Informational Interviews
A guide to finding and talking to people in careers of interest to build your professional network, along with protocols for conducting an informational interview and following up afterwards.
Using Informational Interviews for Career Exploration
Learn what networking is – and isn’t. Identify ways to find people for informational interviews, how to reach out successfully, how to ask good questions and how to maintain your relationships long-term.
