use informational interviews as part of your job search
I have always recommended the use of informational interviews to help people in their job and career search. See this one extract below that I picked up from of a successful use of an “informational interview:”
“October 17 was my last day with the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, ending a chapter that began with a simple 30-minute informational interview.
In the fall of 2020, I was preparing to move to DC to be with my now-wife, Cathryn Wile, PMP, and was deep in a long job search. I had submitted nearly 50 applications and received plenty of rejections. My goal was to get back into city government, focus on emergency management, and work for an agency who prioritized professional development.
On March 26, 2021, I had a 30-minute informational interview with Clint Osborn thanks to a LinkedIn request I sent. This conversation opened the door to 4.5 years that became one of the most meaningful periods of my career.”
Here's some basic tips on conducting an informational interview:
I like using a telephone call to be more personal. You don’t have gatekeepers any more and with the Internet you can get to people you want to talk to.
Have your pitch down, “Hello, I’m Eric Holdeman. I am finishing a career in the military and investigating emergency management as my future career choice. Would you have 20-30 minutes for an informational interview sometime next week?”
I did over 100 informational interviews looking at careers in nonprofit fundraising (my priority), construction project management, and then emergency management. You know which one I ended up with.
Go into the interview with a set of written questions. Take some notes when the other person is speaking.
You can ask any questions you like, e.g. What type of people are successful in this career field? What are the key skills needed to be successful. What do you like most about your job? What do you like least? What are the greatest challenges you are facing right now?
Don’t stay longer than 30 minutes.
Be ready for the informational interview to turn into more of a job interview—they could be looking for someone.
Bring a resume with you. If there is time, ask them to look at it and give you some immediate feedback on what you have written.
You may get conflicting answers to your questions. Verify by asking the same question to multiple people.
The last question you ask is this one, “Can you recommend 3-5 other people I should speak to about this career field—get their phone number. Doing so builds your network and then as part of your phone pitch you can say, “Hello, I’m Eric Holdeman and ______ recommended I contact you. I am finishing….”
