Tips for Getting the Most from Informational Interviewing

JOB MARKET

By Sandy Asirvatham

Most people love to talk about themselves and the work they do — and it is this basic human truth that makes the informational interview possible. In such an interview, an active job seeker, or even a person just beginning to explore a new career path, might call upon an employer to answer general questions about his or her organization, the field in general, and his or her career path in particular. While some employers might balk at the request for a little of their time, career counselors say, most are flattered by the attention and welcome the opportunity to act as mentors to the uninitiated.

“I do them out of gratitude for those who did the same for me,” says Jean Tickell, director of development at Germantown Friends School in Germantown, Pa., who has granted a few informational interviews over the years. When she was getting her start in fund raising, she says, “I probably made a pest of myself” requesting chats with nonprofit employers.

Although college students and recent graduates are the most likely to request informational interviews, the research tool is gaining popularity among older career switchers, and is frequently recommended for those who are considering a move from for-profit to nonprofit work. Ms. Tickell notes that she once met with a corporate human-resources specialist who had done a lot of volunteer work and was considering trying to make a living at it. “I always try to be absolutely honest, and tell people to be prepared for salary differences,” she says.

Unlike a job interview, which is focused on the requirements of a particular position, an informational interview can cover a broader range of topics. Gayle Yiotis, a museum specialist at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, says that she has granted interviews to two recent graduates of her alma mater, Marquette University. Neither, however, was interested in her current work, she says: One was relocating to Washington and asked mostly about the local housing market, while the other wanted to know about the museum’s publishing arm. Although Ms. Yiotis doesn’t work with the Smithsonian Institution Press, she did share general knowledge from her pre-Smithsonian background, which included publishing work.

“I’m always very honest with people. I told her about the long hours, little pay, and hard work,” says Ms. Yiotis. “I think I scared her away.”

While that particular job seeker may have been discouraged by what she learned in an informational interview, others have discovered career paths they hadn’t considered. “I wouldn’t even have known about development as a field if it weren’t for informational interviewing,” says Sara Heiberger, who manages databases in the development office of WGBH, a public television station in Boston. Ms. Heiberger engaged in at least a dozen phone interviews and a few in-person talks when she was a recent graduate looking for career guidance. An interview with a publications director at a private school led to a meeting with the school’s development officer. Although Ms. Heiberger did not end up working at the school, the exposure to fund raising inspired her to enter the field.

In conducting informational interviews, “you should imagine you’re an anthropologist,” says Patricia Rose, director of career services at the University of Pennsylvania. Each professional field is a culture, Ms. Rose advises, and each organization has its own customs to be investigated before an applicant plunges into a job search. “Someone who wants to work in, say, development communications ought to talk with someone who does that work,” she says.

Although career counselors caution that informational interviews should never be used as a “back door” form of job prospecting, they admit that the process can help build a network that leads to actual job possibilities down the line.

When Alexandra Jenkins, a career counselor at the University of San Francisco, talks with students about informational interviewing, she tells them to consider the ripple effect such meetings can create. “Taking the time to go out there and talk to someone creates a place for you in their mind, and usually leads to really good things,” she says. Ms. Jenkins and other counselors note that one of the most important aspects of the informational interview is the chance to get a job seeker’s name in front of a person who may have a job for that applicant in the future. “If an employer sees 200 or more résumés for a position, and has only heard of 10 of those people, who’s going to be called first?” she asks.

While Ms. Rose, Ms. Jenkins, and other counselors say people shouldn’t feel the least bit shy about asking for a small amount of time and information from members of alumni networks, family friends, or other resources, they also urge interviewers to use common sense and basic courtesy.

“I once had a woman ask me for an informational interview,” recalls Elizabeth Heile, head of Foundation Advisory Services, in Seattle, a management consulting company whose clients include nonprofit organizations. “At the last minute she said, ‘I’m going to bring my baby along. I hope that’s OK with you.’ It was the biggest waste of my time ever.” Having met her interviewer in a coffee shop, Ms. Heile was momentarily amused by the “darling little baby eating a cracker,” but ultimately aggravated when “every third patron in the restaurant came by to say how cute she was.”

Ms. Heile’s experience illustrates what she believes should be a key principle for job seekers who request informational interviews. “You have to be aware of the impression that you’re projecting,” she says. “Even though you think it’s just an informational interview, it might come back around to haunt you someday.”

To begin setting up informational interviews, career counselors recommend the following steps:

Do the homework. With so many charities maintaining Web sites, and with professional associations publishing up-to-date information about their fields and holding online forums that cover current issues, there is no excuse for ignorance about the basic contours of the nonprofit world.

Choose interview subjects carefully. Especially in their earliest interviews, Ms. Heile says, job seekers should shy away from organizations where they might want to work. She advises keeping the information-gathering process separate from the task of impressing a potential employer. If interviewers are very sharp in their questions, they may indeed end up impressing their contacts anyway.

Start close to home. Jack Stewart, director of career services at Abilene Christian University, in Abilene, Tex., suggests that job seekers first solicit friends and family members as potential sources. But he also cautions that “sometimes people who are close to you might not tell you everything,” and thus an interviewer may need to look farther afield for an unvarnished perspective.

College alumni networks can provide a rich source of potential interviewees. Most university or college career centers will maintain a list of graduates, organized by industry or job type, who have already agreed to serve as a source for information and guidance. Career centers are usually also willing to provide older alumni, who may be hoping to switch careers or planning to relocate, with access to these networks.

Don’t, however, rule out making cold calls to organizations that are doing interesting work. The “About Us” or “Contact” sections of nonprofit groups’ Web sites can often be very useful in helping track down potential interview subjects. Professional organizations may also help find them.

Be polite and flexible. It sounds obvious, but remember that the nonprofit employers who are contacted by job seekers are under no obligation to give up their time for informational interviews. Interviewers should identify themselves, explain that they are interested in the group’s work, and then make the request for an informational interview. Most counselors urge interviewers to ask for an in-person meeting lasting no more than 30 minutes. Ms. Heile, however, suggests that an interviewer “shouldn’t presume to take an in-person interview if a phone call will work.” If the contact declines to grant a face-to-face appointment, he or she might agree to either answer questions immediately on the phone or schedule a phone-interview appointment in the near future.

Part of being polite, say career counselors, is to observe the rules of job-interview etiquette — even for meetings that aren’t ostensibly job interviews. Dress well but conservatively. Show up on time. Don’t stay longer than the allotted appointment time, unless it seems very clear that the person you are interviewing wants to keep talking.

Prepare thoughtful questions. Informational-interview questions should be organized and specific, says Ms. Tickell. She says she has been asked a wide range of questions, including “How did you get started?” and “How does an independent school differ from other nonprofit organizations?” She notes that interviewers also might ask questions that try to relate their own background to the world of charities. (For example, “If I have a background in special events, is that a good thing to bring to a nonprofit group?”) Individuals who are thinking of switching from for-profit to nonprofit work should not shy away from tough questions about salary differences and expectations, Ms. Tickell says.

Seek additional contacts, and express thanks. The most valuable aspect of informational interviews generally comes at the very end, when the interviewer asks the contact for referrals of other individuals who might be willing to talk about their work. The process works best when the original contact agrees to call up those contacts in advance to smooth the job seeker’s path, Ms. Tickell says: “It can become an endless chain.”

Regardless of what comes from an informational interview, job seekers should always send their interview subjects thank-you notes. Career counselors also encourage job seekers to let their contacts know when they finally land a position. They will appreciate having played a part in the success.

Above all, don’t bait and switch. Although employers fully understand that a job seeker’s ultimate goal is a job, he or she should never use an informational interview as a sneaky way to ask for one, say Ms. Jenkins and other career counselors. Bringing a résumé to an informational interview is acceptable, but don’t brandish it. The job seeker who keeps it out of sight and offers it only when asked, Ms. Jenkins says, will seem simultaneously well-prepared and professionally well-behaved.

Got tips for seeking — or granting — informational interviews? Share them in the Job Market online forum.