Information Interviews
Information interviews offer valuable career advice and insights through informal conversations with someone about their career or organisation.
Building your network
Information interviews are a great opportunity to build your network and find out more about a career or organisation. The main purpose of an information interview is to gain advice and support, not to ask for a job.
Finding contacts
There are a number of ways you can find contacts.
- Start with people you know, or friends of friends.
- Use social media. The LinkedIn Find Alumni tool, can be particularly useful.
- Attend events such as employer presentations and recruitment fairs, in your school and on campus. Ask questions after the presentation and grab the chance to take their details and get in touch.
- Check the websites of professional associations. They often have member directories where you can find potential contacts. If you’re a student or associate member of a professional body, you may also be able to attend industry events. Find links to professional associations on our Explore Occupations pages.
Plan your meeting
Before you connect, plan your meeting to give structure and focus. If you don't know what you want, a meeting can turn into a chat and end up being an unproductive experience.
For example, the focus of a meeting could be on:
- finding out more about careers and opportunities in that sector
- getting advice on your job search, applications and interviews
- opportunities for work shadowing or work experience
- looking for new contacts to add to your network
Do your research and find out about the organisation in advance. One of the best ways to make them interested in you is to show that you are interested in them.
Making contact
Getting in touch with someone can feel daunting at first. Here's some advice to help you get started.
- If you're going through a friend or family member, ask them to let their contact know that you'll be getting in touch.
- Try to phone or email to ask for a short meeting (face-to-face, telephone, Zoom). About 20 to 30 minutes should be enough, but they may give you more time if things go well.
- Introduce yourself and say how you got their details. Be clear about why you want to talk to them.
- Never ask for a job or an interview. This can put the person in an awkward position and you want your contacts to feel good about being able to help you.
- Focus on them, not yourself. Explain why you want to talk to them in particular, for example you value their insight.
- Send a copy of your CV or link to your LinkedIn profile, to give them some background knowledge about you.
- After the meeting, thank them in writing for their time.
- Aim to leave with one or two more names to help build your network. Be clear about what any new contacts can offer you in terms of expertise.
Questions to ask
It's always good to ask questions when you meet contacts. What do you want to find out? What's important to you?
To help you get started, here are some questions you could ask:
- How did you get into this career? or What’s the typical career path to get into this career?
- What does a typical day look like?
- What are your main tasks and responsibilities?
- What do you like most/least about your job?
- What skills, knowledge and experience are employers looking for in this field?
- Who are your customers/clients?
- What is the working environment and culture like?
- How do you develop in your role?
- How is your job likely to change over time?
- Are there things I could do to strengthen my chances? Remember to mention any relevant activities you already do.
- Are there other career areas that my strengths and characteristics make me suitable for that I might not have thought of?
- What do you think of my CV/LinkedIn profile? You might concentrate on content, style or layout.
- How could I use my CV to sell myself better to an employer?
- Are there any specialist publications I should read? Remember to mention any you already read regularly.
- Are there any professional associations I should look into?
- Does your organisation offer any work shadowing or project opportunities that would allow me to broaden my experience?
- Could you recommend anyone else for me to talk to?
After the meeting
Reflect on the interview, what you have learned and how it might affect your career decisions.
Send a brief thank you note to everyone who helped you.
Stay in touch. Update your contacts on your progress. Let them know what actions you've taken, what jobs you're looking at and anything they said or did that helped you. This will help them remember you and let them know that the time they spent on you was worthwhile.