The Dos and Donts of Informational Interviewing

The Dos and Donts of Informational Interviewing The Dos and Donts of Informational Interviewing 20In part II of our series, Tom White and Maureen Mackey help job seekers learn the dos and donts of informational interviewing. If you havent read part I of this series, be sure to check out: Questions to Ask in an Informational Interview for Flexible Jobs Once you’ve got your prospects lined up, your informational interview questions organized, and your interviews scheduled, there is a protocol and propriety about the actual interviews that you should be careful to observe. Here are the dos of informational interviewing: DO make your purpose and intent explicitly clear. Tell your subjects exactly why you want to interview them. You can assure there will be no misunderstanding about your purpose by addressing the next point. DO provide your questions in advance. Most subjects would appreciate knowing what you will be asking them. It helps them prepare and reassures them they won’t be blindsided during your interview. You can simply email the questions. Perhaps four to seven general or open-ended questions, along the lines of inquiry outlined above, will be sufficient to set the scope and tenor of your upcoming interview. DO keep the interview short. Schedule the interview to be short, 20 to 30 minutes. A half hour is a lot of time to take out of someone’s busy day, especially if your subject works on billable hours. Let you subject set the tone and direction of your engagement, but be mindful of keeping the interview focused and to the point. DO show a personal interest in the person you are interviewing. Ask your subjects about the kind of work they do. Make your interviews as much about them as possible, and less about you. DO follow up immediately. This is one time when a personal handwritten thank-you note makes a whole lot more sense than an on-the-fly email. Be sure to acknowledge your subjects’ time and advice, let them know you appreciate the opportunity, and tell them something specific about what you got out of the interview. Check back with your subjects periodically, perhaps every three to six months, just to let them know how you’re doing. Many will take a personal interest in you. DO be prepared to show a brief bio or qualifications statement. Some subjects might ask about your background; it helps them to know how to frame their answers. So, bring a two-paragraph narrative backgrounder THAT DOESNT SMACK OF BEING A RÉSUMÉ. You can always offer to send a résumé later, but ONLY IF you are asked. Think of the bio as what you might read on a book jacket if you were a famous author. From your email contact, your subject should already have your name, phone number, and email address, but you can include these anyway. [NOTE: It is always a good idea to include this information as part of your email signature. Never leave an email recipient hunting for how to contact you.] DO dress as if it this were a job interview. Even though this is NOT a job interview, show your subjects the courtesy and respect that good grooming evinces. Dressing well says you take the interview seriously and you care enough to look your very best. DO pick up the tab if your meeting is lunch or coffee break. Since you initiated the interview and your subject is doing you a favor, you paying would be most appropriate. Here are the donts of informational interviewing: DONT make this into a job interview. Only discuss your skills and experience if the conversation goes in that direction and your subject asks about you. DONT focus only on you. Remember, you came to the interview to find out more about your subject and your subject’s profession, business, or industry. The subject of the interview is not you. DONT take more time than agreed to. Unless your subject insists on taking longer, graciously excuse yourself when you have used up the agreed upon time. You can simply say, “Well, I see we’ve used up the time allotted for our meeting. I know you need to get back to work. So I’ll let you go, but would it be OK for me to email you back if I have any follow-up questions? I really appreciate the time you’ve taken to talk with me. Thank you.” DONT abuse any confidences. You may find out things about people or events that are confidential and this is exactly how that information should remain. DONT ask for personal or confidential information. Your questions need to be short and focus primarily on objective information. Don’t cross into your subject’s personal life without being invited to go there. Likewise, don’t pursue a line of questioning that will force your subject to reveal sensitive or confidential information. It would be embarrassing for both of you. DONT bring your portfolio. Again, this is not a job interview. It would be tacky to show up with your portfolio (or résumé) on the off-chance you might be asked to show it. If your subject is interested, you can come back later with it for a real job interview. DONT ask for favors; let people offer. In the dynamics of human etiquette, it is always rude to maneuver someone into a corner to ask for a favor. It is more appropriate to let someone offer. It makes you look gracious when you accept and your subjects as magnanimous when they offer. A final note on informational interviewing: Remember, informational interviewing is about getting information, not about inveigling your way into a job. If your interview subject offers to refer you to someone else or asks to see your résumé, that’s a bonus. But don’t expect or try to manipulate the circumstances to these ends. You’re better offer graciously accepting whatever advice and guidance your subjects might offer, thanking them, and moving on. If you treat your subjects with deference and appreciation, you will make a professional contact that will serve you well for a long time to come. Our thanks to Tom White and Maureen Mackey, authors of this post, which originally appeared in their Independent Beacon newsletter. This husband and wife team live in Portland, Oregon, and manage a communications consulting business called the Green Galaxy Group. Dont miss part I of this series, Questions to Ask in an Informational Interview for Flexible Jobs. Readers, what are your best tips for informational interviewing? Share those and your success stories below!