Job Search Lesson 4 – preparing for an informational interview

So you've teed up an informational interview and now you need to prepare.

First of all I recommend pulling together a list of questions that you want to know the answers to. Here are some thought starters to build your knowledge:

1. Would you please tell me a little about your role / what areas you’re responsible for?

2. What about your job history, what roles did you have previously?

3. What skills do you required succeed in your role?

4. What are the main challenges in your role?

5. What are the typical career paths after your role?

6. What do you like most / least about your role?

7. How is your success measured?

8. Have you worked with any recruiters that you recommend?

During the interview, the last question you should always ask is "who else do you recommend that I talk with to get another perspective?". This question is key to finding unadvertised roles. Ideally you’ll be able to get one or two names from each person you meet, which will enable you to rapidly build your network and ideally lead you to someone who is recruiting.

Once you have an initial list of questions, I recommend you find out all you can about the person you're meeting with, the company they work for and the industry in which they operate. This will enable you to update your list of questions and come across more educated. It will also mean that you don’t waste your contact’s time finding out information that is easily obtainable on the internet.