How to Land and Ace an Informational Interview

Find people to talk to:
This process works for informational interviewing and internship searches.
1. Talk to anyone who will listen. From friends, to relatives, to your next door neighbor; let people know about your career aspirations. You never know who you may know that can help you.
2. Cold call. I have done this in the past and although it may sound ridiculous it REALLY WORKS! Search the internet for top companies in your field; find someone in a position of power and just call! People love to talk about themselves. It gives them an ego boost and makes them feel important, so you are likely to get somewhere with them when you call.
3. Alumni Relations office. If you’re in college, it is a great idea to check with your school’s Alumni Relations office, as they will likely be able to connect you with alumni that work in your field of interest.

Before you call:
• Be Prepared. Do not waste your time and definitely do not waste the other person’s time. People in power tend to be extremely busy, so make the best use of their precious time. Compile a list of questions (approximately 10). Aside from the general questions, you also want to have a question or two that will show them you are smart and that you’ve thought about the industry. (Please feel free to respond to this blog post if you want ideas of questions you should ask. I’ve gone through this process so many times!) Finally, make sure you know his/her name and title BEFORE you call.
• Find a quite, structured place to make the call. Do not lie in bed or walk down the street when you are on the phone. You don’t want to sound distracted or unprofessional.

During the call:
• State your name and tell them that you are a student at school X and are interested in learning more about field X. You are wondering if they have 15 minutes (make sure you state an exact amount of time) to answer some questions you have about the industry. Unless they are in middle of something, most people will be happy to talk, especially if you sound confident and interested. (If they say they are busy, politely ask if you could call back at a different time.)
• Speak professionally.
• Listen attentively and respond accordingly. Ask a follow-up question to his/her comments every once in a while to show them that you are really listening and are ‘captivated’.
• Say thank you. At the end of the call, thank them for their time.

After the call:
• Send a thank you note, NOT an email. I am talking about a real, handwritten, tangible card that the person will receive via snail mail. My dad gave me this advice a while back and it really helps. Since most communication is done through the computer nowadays, people are genuinely surprised to receive a letter in the mail. Spend the few bucks, find a good ‘Thank You’ card, write a nice note and mail it out within 24 hours. Also, include a tidbit about something they mentioned during the call to make the letter more personal and to show that you listened and learned something.
• Stay in touch. This can be done via email. If the person seemed to enjoy speaking with you, send them an email every once in a while to keep them in the loop with your studies, job search, etc. You never know what it could lead to down the line.