The best way to get in-depth answers to all of your career questions is to talk to people in jobs of interest to you. Informational interviews are one-on-one meetings with professionals to learn more about their fields, industries, companies, and jobs. They are also the most effective way to build your professional network and increase your chances of landing your dream job. People are almost always happy to spare a few minutes to give advice and talk about themselves, if you approach this process professionally. Informational interviews are not the time to ask someone to find a job or internship for you. However, by following these guidelines, you can use informational interviews to build relationships that will lead to job interviews and offers.
Where Do I Find These Professionals?
People like sharing their knowledge with students, so they’re generally glad to help. You can find contacts for informational interviews through:
- Faculty
- Friends/family
- Professional associations
- Recruiting events
- UM and MHBS alumni groups and Cane2Cane
- News articles
- LinkedIn searches
- People standing next to you in line!
A great way to find potential contacts is from news articles related to the company, field, or industry of interest to you. People are flattered when you notice them in the media, assuming they aren’t in the newspaper on a daily basis already or they’re there for bad news. You might have to do some sleuthing to figure out their e-mail address or connect on LinkedIn, but if you reach out to compliment them on the quote or article and ask if you can schedule time to learn more about the topic from them, they will very likely be flattered and happy to talk to you!
How Do I Ask?
Your approach will depend on how you met the people you are interested in interviewing, but some things will always be true:
- Tell them you are a current business student looking for advice and insight on their function/industry/company/job.
- Tell them why you are impressed by them and interested in their opinion. (Some honest flattery goes a long way!)
- Ask them when they may be available to talk to you (don’t assume now is a good time).
- Tell them how much time you will need—be willing to take only 15 minutes over the phone if they are busy. Coffee meetings are the preferred format for these appointments in many industries, because it’s before their day gets busy.
- Do some basic research on their function/industry/company as well as their LinkedIn profile prior to the meeting so you can demonstrate real interest and use your time more effectively.
- Send a confirmation e-mail prior to the scheduled meeting and attach a copy of your resume, noting that it is “for their reference and feedback.”
- Be on time with specific questions written out. Sometimes you may need to e-mail questions ahead of time or instead of a personal meeting, if this works better for them.
- Monitor your time, and when you use up your scheduled time, offer to end the meeting. The individual can choose to continue it, but if you overstay your scheduled time with a busy person, you can leave a very bad impression.
- Thank them for their time in person and follow up immediately in writing (handwritten notes are more personal than e-mail, but email is better than nothing) and thank them again for their time and insight.
- It’s appropriate to ask the person you interview for referrals to other people who could also advise you, if you follow all the procedures just listed. By getting referrals and following the previous steps, you will rapidly grow your professional network.
- If they refer you to someone else, you must follow up with that person and take the contact seriously, even if you don’t see the purpose of the connection. If you are respectful of their willingness to introduce you to others, they will continue to help you grow your network. And besides – everyone is important – it’s your job to figure out how you can learn from each person you meet!
When trying to schedule an initial meeting, it’s generally best to have your first outreach by e-mail, with a follow up phone call, if needed, a week later. Remember that business people are very busy, and they don’t want to read long e-mails any more than you do. If you spend several sentences talking about your qualifications and accomplishments, you’re likely to lose their attention, because you aren’t applying for a job (yet) anyway.
Keep the initial outreach simple by following this format:
________________________________________________________________________________
First 1-2 sentences:
Any outreach e-mail should open with your connection to that person. It could be that he or she is an alumnus, it could be that you share a mutual friend, or it could be that you read about him or her in a professional article. Start with those areas of shared interest.
Next 1-2 sentences:
Let the contact know you are a student interested in learning more about (company/industry/field) and ask if they can spare 30 minutes to meet you for coffee or chat with you by phone so you can ask for their advice and insights.
Closing 1-2 sentences:
Recognize that they are busy and that you would appreciate any time or insights they could spare in the next couple of weeks. Let them know that you will call them in the next week in case that is more convenient than e-mail for them.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Networking Referral Sample Phone Call Script
Hello, Dr. Jones. This is Sam Tran. Bob Smith is my professor at UM, and he recommended I contact you. I’m a junior majoring in supply chain management, and I’m trying to decide if I want to pursue a career in procurement. Dr. Smith said you were very successful in the field and that I could learn a lot from you. Would you have 30 minutes in the next week or two to talk to me about your job and what it takes to be successful in your field? I need some input to help me decide what to do next with school and work.
*NOTE: If you must leave a message, be sure to repeat your first and last name and then speak your phone number clearly. If your email is short enough, you can list that as well. It’s important to speak clearly enough to be understood on a recording and to give all the information they may need to contact you. Not all office phones save caller ID information.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Cold Call Sample E-mail
Dear Ms. Smith:
I was pleased to read in the South Florida Business Journal that Widgets R Us has been so successful in the Miami market this year. I am an MBA student focused on marketing at the University of Miami, and I’m trying to better understand how AI is affecting marketing career paths in consumer packaged goods. Based on the article, it seems like you are a leader in this area, so I was wondering if I could take 30 minutes of your time in the next week or two to get your thoughts on what it is like to work in CPG and on the future of the industry.
I know you are extremely busy, so I would be happy to take you for a cup of coffee before work or meet by phone if an in-person meeting in your office is too difficult to schedule.
Thank you in advance for your time and guidance. I am sure you get many e-mails every day, so if we are unable to connect by e-mail I’ll try to call you next week to see if that is more convenient.
_________________________________________________________________________________
What Do I Ask?
If you have done basic research on the function, industry, company, and job, you will probably have some very specific questions you want answered. Your LinkedIn and Google research of your contact may result in questions about their career paths as well. Following are sample informational interview questions:
- What’s a typical day or week like in your job?
- What would I need to do to break into this field?
- What path did you take to get into the job you’re in now?
- What do you like about working in this particular company?
- When I’m looking at possible industries or companies with this type of job, what types of things should I look out for?
- How easy or difficult is it to have work-life balance in this field or industry?
- What professional organizations could I join to meet more people in this field?
- What opportunities or challenges do you see for this industry in the future?
- What do you like most/least about your career?
- Do you have any other advice or information you think may be helpful to me?
- Are there any other people you think I should be talking to as I learn more about this field and gather more advice?
Then What?
After the informational interview, follow up to thank the individual in writing within a week. Handwritten notes are the most personal approach, but if you have bad handwriting or you are concerned you might not get out a handwritten note within a week, e-mail is fine. Just remember to treat the e-mail like a formal letter, and monitor format, grammar and spelling for professionalism.
Every semester, contact the people you interviewed (typically through LinkedIn or email) to keep them posted on your progress, share relevant articles, or let them know how their advice is helping you. Make sure they know how much you continue to appreciate their insight and guidance. If you treat them respectfully and professionally, you can ask for referrals to other people they know who could also advise you. This is how you begin building a productive, professional network!
