Top Reasons to Conduct Informational Interviews

Informational interviewing is one of the best tools you can use to help you work through the career development process. Interviewing people about their current job, previous positions, company, etc. can reveal a wealth of information that you can use to evaluate your own career path. Who better to ask for advice than someone who is working in the field you are interested in?

Conducting informational interviews can help you:

Gather valuable information: Whether it is deciding on a major, narrowing down possible career options, or figuring out what to specialize in, the more information you have the more confident you will feel about your decision. People enjoy talking about themselves and helping others you share the same interests, so don’t be shy!

Find a mentor: No matter what your career goals, chances are there is someone out there working in the same type of job you are interested in. Being able to relate to someone with common interests and goals can be the start of a supportive mentoring relationship. Remember: behind every great success story is a great mentor.

Practice professional communication skills: One of the top skills that employers look for is the ability to communicate effectively. Contacting people for and conducting informational interviews is a great way to practice speaking with professionals (which is much different than texting or emailing friends).

Make networking contacts: You hear it all the time “It’s not about what you know, it’s who you know.” While informational interviews are not a place to explicitly ask for a job or internship, they will allow you to increase your network of professional contacts.

To learn more about this topic, check out the Informational Interviewing guide on our website.