Comments on: Why the Informational Interview Should Be Your Favorite Job-Hunting Tactic

By: The Networking Strategy that Will Help Find Your Next Job | The Savvy Intern by YouTern

Tue, 18 Mar 2014 13:16:02 +0000

[…] groundbreaking career book What Color is Your Parachute? suggested the unemployed should do informational interviews to ask experienced professionals about opportunities in the industry. But this strategy is more […]

By: Careers & Internships | How the Informational Interview Helps You Get the Job

Tue, 17 Dec 2013 19:26:17 +0000

[…] The secret: the informational interview. […]

By: CurryPRProf

CurryPRProf — Sat, 16 Nov 2013 02:50:00 +0000

Excellent advice that mirrors what I tell my students day-in and day-out. Informational interviews are a great way to “test the waters” and get a sense of what working in a particular industry might be like…or a particular organization.

By: Simon Oh | #Read3: Nov. 10, 2013

Simon Oh | #Read3: Nov. 10, 2013 — Sun, 10 Nov 2013 17:18:15 +0000

[…] Why the Informational Interview Should Be Your Favorite Job-Hunting Tactic – Brazen Careerist has a post out about how informational interviews can give you an upper hand in your job search, especially if you are a recent graduate or a soon-to-be-graduate. I’ve written about this topic earlier this year on Beehooved and have participated in three of them myself this year. Little by little, you’d be amazed at how this can help you progress in your job search and your career. […]

By: Informational Interviews can be SO VERY effective | JibberJobber Blog

Informational Interviews can be SO VERY effective | JibberJobber Blog — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 03:06:32 +0000

[…] Here’s a great primer on informational interviews: Why the Informational Interview Should Be Your Favorite Job-Hunting Tactic […]

By: Informational Interviews | Nancy Syzdek, APR

Informational Interviews | Nancy Syzdek, APR — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 00:53:11 +0000

[…] suggest students do informational interviews and job shadowing. Here’s a great article from Brazen Careerist on the art of informational interviews. In short, find 3-5 places you want to work/people you want to work with and do your research. […]

By: Anthony Moore

Anthony Moore — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 01:02:00 +0000

Excellent idea, Mary! I love that attitude, and I think that’s a very smart question to ask. I’ve actually been looking into becoming a career coach myself (no joke!) and I’ve had about…10 informational interviews this year alone with career coaches. Looks like I’ll need a Masters…sigh.

I’m curious Mary, in your specific experience as a career coach, what are some of the biggest obstacles you’ve found for people who are hesitant about initiating informational interviews? And how would you recommend overcoming those obstacles?

By: Anthony Moore

Anthony Moore — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 00:57:00 +0000

Thanks for the feedback, Tracie! You know what’s funny, I make sure I always ask if they know of any positions available – for me, I just think it couldn’t hurt (although obviously, sometimes it is inappropriate).

I think that’s a fantastic piece of advice, though – I’d say finding a connection to someone useful is the sign of an excellent information interview. I’ll be sure to include that in my next guest post!

Tracie, what are some of the biggest problems college students/grads face when trying to initiate an informational interview? And how would you recommend they overcome these difficulties?

By: Anthony Moore

Anthony Moore — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 00:54:00 +0000

That’s a great point, one that I’ve come across a lot. For me, I’ve found that the times when they say “yes” are the times when there’s already a connection – either you know someone who knows them, or even just the fact that they went to your college back in the day.

For the others who say no, that’s always discouraging – move on and find someone worth talking to who wants to talk to you. A lot of professionals want to meet young go-getters like yourself.

I’m curious – what industries are looking into? Perhaps some industries are just a lot harder to get into.

By: Mary Beth Barrett-Newman

Mary Beth Barrett-Newman — Fri, 01 Nov 2013 15:14:00 +0000

Anthony – Your post is spot on! As a career coach working with a variety of individuals from recent college grads, to Stay-at-home-Moms returning to the workforce, to mid-careers looking to move into another field/industry, getting out there & networking is not only more productive, but a lot more fun than sitting behind a computer applying to the black hole of open jobs on-line!
One question I would include in your list is “Tell me about your career path? How did you get started in this industry?”

By: Tracie Lowe

Tracie Lowe — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 19:45:00 +0000

Excellent post! Two of my professional positions have been a result of informational interviews, and I push them to college students all the time. While most aren’t ready to ask the ‘do you know of any positions available’ question — and for some it wouldn’t be appropriate– I encourage them to always ask for feedback on their resume. One point you didn’t explicity mention: Always ask, “Who else would you suggest I speak with to learn more?”

By: Anthony Moore

Anthony Moore — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 22:25:00 +0000

Excellent advice. I really like the idea of going not “expecting” a job offer, but instead just asking for information and learning how to be a more competitive candidate.

By: jrandom421

jrandom421 — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 18:05:00 +0000

Most heard from requests for informational interviews:
“I don’t have time for one. Apply for one of the jobs available on our website You can ask all your questions during the interview.”

By: Jason Raisleger

Jason Raisleger — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 17:28:00 +0000

I think part of it is managing expectations. Hopefully
people are going into these interviews interested in learning instead of
approaching them hoping to get an immediate job offer. When I went into
interviews, I was honestly interested in learning more about what marketing/technology
companies (my target) were interested in when looking to add staff. This information
helped me to highlight these skills on my resume as well as know which skills I
had to learn to be more ‘employable’. To
echo your point in the article, people are actually very eager to help. I had
only a couple of people that didn’t respond to my request for a meeting. Just be honest that you want to learn more
about their company and industry. The more people you talk to, the more
information you can get which can help your career going forward when you
finally do land a job.

By: Anthony Moore

Anthony Moore — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 16:08:00 +0000

Thanks a lot, Jason. That’s very inspiring! A lot of job-seekers can get burned out after so many informational interviews – thanks for sharing that they can still provide a lot of meaning, encouragement, and benefits. Got any more advice for job-seekers who haven’t seen a lot of fruit from these interviews?

By: Jason Raisleger

Jason Raisleger — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 03:51:00 +0000

Great post Anthony and I would have to agree 100% with everything
you said. I did this during my job search this summer and I found them to be
invaluable. Two of the people I met with told me that they would have jobs
opening up in the fall and that they were glad I reached out to them and would
keep me in mind for the openings when they became available. One of them even
told me about a certification that they *give bonus points* to applicants that
have it. Besides the great reasons you mentioned in your article, I found going
to the informational interviews gave me hope that there were opportunities out
there, compared to sitting at home and hoping new jobs would appear on a job
board. I hope many job seekers were able to read your post and follow your
advice.

By: 3 Reasons Why the Informational Interview Should Be Your Favorite Job-Hunting Tactic - StuffGradsLike

Tue, 29 Oct 2013 16:58:05 +0000

[…] no further. Read my guest post on the 3 reasons why informational interviews should be your favorite job-hunting […]