Informational Interviews

      Informational interviewing is the term most frequently used for visits where a career changer or job hunter seeks information from a knowledgeable person. There are four situations where it is appropriate to meet with such experts who can provide information and advice. These situations include when you want information about a career field, an industry, a company, or a specific job opening

        The person you would seek to meet is almost never a person with the power to hire you for a position you would desire. During this information gathering phase it is in your best interest to avoid people with the power to hire. There are several reasons for this. The person with the power to hire you is one or two levels above where you would fit into the organization. That person is more difficult to meet and his or her knowledge may be outdated. It may have been several years since that person actually performed the work you’re interested in. Also, it’s just harder to sell yourself to a person who knows that two weeks ago when the two of you first met, you weren’t sure you wanted to pursue the occupation. This recommendation is not a law in job hunting, but in the vast majority of cases, you’ll do better with people actively involved in your desired job field.

        Once you select at least one field you intend to pursue, that is the time to develop a resume geared to that field, as well as a list of prospects.

How To Find People

        Finding people who are knowledgeable about career fields you’re interested in is key to your success in choosing the right field. There are several ways to locate and then talk to the right people:

        1. Talk to people you know (even if you barely know them) who are in the field or industry you are interested in.

        2. Ask people you know if they know anyone in your desired field. When you get a referral, you can then mention to the person who it was that suggested you call. Mentioning the person’s name will break the ice more quickly and make it easier to get an appointment.

        3. Attend association meetings. Ask people in your prospective field if there is an association that represents them. If that doesn’t work use the Encyclopedia of Associations and National Trade and Professional Associations, found in most libraries. Both can be quite helpful in identifying appropriate associations. Then call the national organization to find the local chapter nearest you. Or, you can look up in the Yellow Pages to find out if there is a local chapter. Keep in mind, however, that many associations are not listed in the Yellow Pages.

        4. Each time you meet someone in your desired field, ask who else in the field might be helpful.

Meeting People Who Are Knowledgeable About Your Career Field

        It is important that you have read as much as possible about the field. In that way you will ask only questions regarding important matters that your reading did not adequately cover. Because you’ll ask good questions, the person you’re speaking to will have more respect for you and give you better information.

        Several times a year people who know virtually nothing about the counseling profession will call me asking to meet with me to learn more about the field. I will ask a couple questions to assess their knowledge. If they know little, I will suggest two books for them to read and then tell them to call me after they’ve read them. I’m willing to meet with people, but if I do, I want to answer high-level questions, not basic, low-level questions. In all but a few cases the person never called back. By the time I end the initial conversation, I have typically spent about ten minutes with them and have shared some observations about the profession.

        I enjoy meeting with people who have done their background research and feel that career counseling may be right for them. When they ask for 20 minutes, I usually end up giving them 30 or 40. I like talking about my field. I’m proud of it. I want people to know the good points about it (there are many), but I also want them to know the drawbacks (there are several).

        You may have basic national salary information about your desired field, but if you live in Boston, you need to know salary ranges in Boston. The salary calculators and salary information found on many career web sites can be useful, but I would put more trust in someone local who has a good feel for it.

        While you’re talking to someone, ask which are the best organizations to work for. Usually there will be a few organizations that keep getting mentioned. Those are the ones to concentrate on later.

Meeting People Who Are Knowledgeable About Your Industry

        The industry you choose to work in can have a great impact on your career success. In a growing industry you can get promoted easily and quickly while in a constricting industry, layoffs are the norm and moving up the career ladder, difficult. Read what you can about your desired industries, but ultimately you must talk to local people who can describe the state of the industry in your area (assuming you don’t want to move). People in the industry can tell you what they’ve observed. Use the knowledge you’ve gained from your reading to pose questions. If you’ve read that the industry is declining, ask the person if that matches his observation. If the industry as a whole has grown less profitable in recent years, this can affect job security in the industry as well as the ability to get pay raises.

        Look for opportunities as well as problems. An opportunity in an industry exists when special skills are needed, which you may have picked up in another industry. For example, in a particular industry, it may have been rare in the past for companies to set up offices in Asia and Europe. If that is quickly changing, your branch management experience in London and Hong Kong may be extremely valuable, even though the experience came in a different industry.

Meeting People Who Are Knowledgeable About A Desired Organization

        As you begin identifying organizations of interest, usually based on size, industry, and location, it is time to read everything you can about them. Often you will find that there is almost no information available on small organizations—they rarely have newspaper articles written about them. Study their web site if they have one, and try using Electric Library (www.elibrary.com) or other Internet resources. Despite your best efforts, sometimes there just isn’t anything available. A last resort that often works is to go to the location and ask a receptionist for any literature available on the organization, including a product catalog.

        So, whether you found the mother lode or you came up empty, someone out there can provide insights into the organization. For more, read pages 31-32 which cover talking to employees, former employees, competitors, and suppliers.

Meeting People Who Are Knowledgeable About A Particular Job

        On numerous occasions clients have located people who knew details about a job opening and were willing to provide real insight. In other words, they went beyond just what the job description said and gave the inside scoop. This information was very helpful in determining whether the person was interested in the job and was extremely valuable in preparing for the job interview. Usually this is a person within the organization, but occasionally it is a consultant or supplier who knows the organization well. Sometimes the person supplying the inside information has been the person to whom the individual would report.

Research The Industry

        As you select your chosen profession, you should also research the industries that hire people to do what you want to do. Some fields, such as accounting, exist in all industries. Other occupations, such as forester, are found in only one or two industries. Knowing the future of specific industries is also important. You don’t want to pick an industry that is becoming obsolete. Although career decisions should not be made solely on the predicted growth of the profession or industry, future growth should certainly be a factor.

        Generally speaking it is advantageous to work for a rapidly growing company in a rapidly growing industry. As you research your chosen field, try to determine its potential for growth. Also research the potential growth of the industry you would work in.

        There are several sources available to help you research an industry. The first resource to use is the U.S. Industrial Outlook, published by the U.S. Department of Commerce. It covers 350 manufacturing and service industries. It utilizes many sources of information to describe the factors which will affect a particular industry in the next few years. From it, you can determine whether an industry is likely to grow or constrict.

        Standard and Poor’s Industry Surveys can also be helpful. Each survey contains an analysis of economic conditions, with growth projections.

            Check the Readers Guide To Periodical Literature, Business Periodicals Index, F & S Index, or Infotrac to find magazine articles about an industry. A librarian can show you how to use each of these resources. On the Internet try a key word search of your desired industry with any of the major search engines, or use Electric Library (www.elibrary.com) to search for your industry.