In today’s episode, I’m going to talk all about informational interviews.
Find the full show notes for this episode at RecoveringCorpoholics.com/26.
An information interview is an opportunity to connect with someone to learn more about a specific area of interest to you.
Information interviews are helpful as it allows you to take your research to the next level and learn from someone who is actually doing what you want to do.
Informational interviews can expand on your level of understanding and it helps build your network. Not only do you get answers you need to help make your next career move, but you also get to meet potential people who could refer you to roles (a win, win!).
It may feel strange reaching out to people you don't know, however, most people like taking time out of their day to talk about their career and to give advice. Studies show that people love talking about themselves!
According to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 85% of jobs are filled by networking. So it's important to be building and nurturing your network. And what better way to do that then to hold informational interviews!
From preparing to wrapping up informational interviews, this episode will go through everything you need to know in order to conduct successful information interviews.
1. Determine your main outcome/goal
Before reaching out to anyone, you'll want to determine what it is you are trying to achieve. Do you need a referral or a recommendation, do you want to just expand your network, do you want to learn more about different career paths or industries?
Depending on the goal, the question types, the # of people to reach out to, how long the process will take, etc., will all change. So set yourself up for success by knowing what you need to do and how you will know you have reached your goal.
For this guide, we are going to assume the goal is to help narrow down career paths and potentially get a referral.
2. Find the jobs / companies / industries you want to apply for
Once you know your main goal, it's time to find jobs / companies / industries that you want to explore. Now if you’re not sure what you want to do, but you know the type of firm or the type of career path you want to go down, it’s super helpful in this stage as your research is going to be more targeted.
For example, if you know you want a career in marketing but are not sure what, do your research; google: 'marketing roles' or 'marketing firms' and write down all the jobs you like. You can even look at the job descriptions and pull out all the responsibilities you like and search on those to see if other jobs come up.
Same thing If you want to do something in art, finance, teaching, etc.
Now, if you’re not sure what you want to do, don’t worry! This is where I come in. I hardly have a client who knows what they want to do next, I mean if they did, they wouldn’t be reaching out to me! So just know, you are not alone!!
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