Mastering the Undergrad Career: Informational Interviews

Making a memorable impression on a key contact or alumnus comes down to a few simple effective questions

Informational interviews. You know them. I know them. Love them or hate them, they are here to stay. On the internet today, there are roughly 8.2 million results on Google when you search “how to conduct an informational interview”. And this is not because of some sheer coincidence. In an ever so evolving world of corporate America, informational interviews have always been viewed in modern society as the ticket to jump past the gatekeeper and get the job at your dream company.

However, one of the issues that I have with the self-proclaimed career experts is that they rarely (if ever) talk about how to actually talk to a working professional. They usually provide super generic advice like the following for conducting informational interviews (source: Harvard Business Review):

1. Prepare & Practice
2. Keep your introduction short
3. Set the tone
4. Think like a journalist
5. Deliberately test your hypotheses
6. Follow up with gratitude
7. Play the long game

Now, to a beginner who has never done an informational interview, this is excellent advice because what the Harvard Business Review has effectively outlined can best be summed up into 2 questions:

1. What is your objective for the informational interview
2. What research can you do before you meet this person?

Other than that, there is truly nothing material in that article that strays away from one of those 2 questions. And you see? That is the issue with how people get their information about how to conduct informational interviews. The advice is outrageously generic and it doesn’t capture the other side’s perspective (the interviewee). Here is what I think should be added as an addendum to the Harvard Business Review’s article:

• Come Prepared but Know That We’re Human — The one thing that college students don’t realize is that for most workers in Corporate America, we spend a majority of our day showcasing our “professional self” to coworkers. We rarely get to spend time to relax (aka let loose) in fear of professional retribution and/or getting shunned for that next promotion. As a college student or young working professional, come prepared for your phone call but know this… your phone call is that little break from reality where we can let go of our professional side and give back to the community
• Don’t just ask the questions you got from a Google Search — Look, I get it. Speaking to a Marketing Manager or even a Senior Marketing Manager sounds ballsy. It might even be something you brag about to your close friends. However, we’ve been there. For me personally, I’ve been in that position where I had an informational interview as a student and simply used the questions that I found via a half-assed Google Search. Did I have a successful interview? Yes…but I certainly did not leave a good impression because I asked questions that anyone would ask. What truly separates a good interview from the rest is if you (the interviewer) ask questions that are entirely unique. And as I got better at interviews, I developed an arsenal of questions that helped me leave an impression whenever I was stumped:

1. In terms of the career choices you’ve taken so far, what is your biggest regret? what is the best move you made?
2. What on-campus resources did you use that gave you more insight into the career path you are on right now? How about off-campus resources?
3. What soft skills do you think I should develop before I graduate from college? And how did you develop those skills?

• Be honest to a fault — This one should be self explanatory but allow me to provide you with the perspective of a worker in Corporate America. As a college student (or young professional), you are still looking to maintain that growth curve in your career so that you can achieve your dream job where you can look back at the path you took and say “Damn. I made it!” But in order to get there, the first steps you take to join Corporate America just so happen to be the most important. For example, you have to answer key questions such as: “What skills do I need to learn”, “What internships should I take?”, “Should I join this club?”, and even “How do I know that this is the career path I want to be on?”. That is why when you get on the phone with a working professional (preferably an alumnus from your college), you need to be blatantly honest with him or her about your position. If you don’t know what you want and just want to talk, then let us know. If you are confused about the different career paths available to you and can’t decide on one, make sure we know. And don’t be afraid! Just because we have a sexy title on our LinkedIn profile doesn’t mean we will turn the cold shoulder to an ambitious college student/young professional. We’ve all been there and will gladly guide you through the process.

Other than the 3 afore-mentioned bullet points, I truly believe this is what it takes to make a successful interview. If you prepare beforehand and research the professional, all you truly need to focus on is to be honest, human, and curious. And remember, 30 minutes is a lot of time to make a good impression if you follow those key steps.