By Calvin Benedict, Peer Career Coach
An informational interview is a great way to gain direct knowledge about an industry, job, or life experience by speaking directly to another person. It involves a short conversation with someone who has a job you want or works at a target employer. By reaching out and actually talking to someone who has been in your shoes, informational interviews act as the perfect gateway to fostering connections and receiving advice about career paths.
My name is Calvin Benedict and I am the Peer Career Coach for the Media, Arts, and Entertainment section of the Career Center. Until I started working at the Career Center, I had no idea how useful informational interviewing could be. I tend to get reserved when it comes to reaching out to people I have never met before, so an informational interview sounded like a nightmare to me. Little did I know, it would actually be one of the most helpful ways to gain knowledge about the field I want to go into.
Here are some reasons to do an informational interview, with a couple of advice/tips:
Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
Completing an informational interview sometimes involves reaching out to someone you have never met before and asking for their time to speak with you. For me, this was extremely uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing since I was worried they wouldn’t respond or even want to talk to me. However, taking the risk itself is a huge step forward.
By stepping out of your comfort zone and reaching out to new people, you may think, “Oh, that wasn’t so bad” and begin to find more confident in making bigger strides in your career path as a whole.
Helps Practice Reaching Out to People
As stated above, reaching out to someone is one of the hardest parts about the informational interview process. Without a push from my supervisor, I’m not certain that I would have decided to conduct an informational interview. Even though it was a goal of mine, I found it intimidating. The uncertainty of it all was where my anxiety came from.
It helped calm my nerves to reach out to someone I knew first. I am striving to be a therapist, and knew that one of my mom’s old college friends is a Clinical Psychologist. I found it less stressful to conduct an informational interview with someone through a mutual connection. The “interview” I was so worried about felt like a relaxed conversation that I was guiding. It gave me the confidence to begin reaching out to someone I had never met before.
Reaching out to people can help you stand out and convey that you are someone who takes initiative and cares about their career of interest. It is also a wonderful skill to have that can help build a confidence you may not have realized was there. Remember, the worst thing that can happen is you don’t get an answer or you get a no.
Make Connections = Networking without even Realizing it
Informational interviews is like networking in disguise. You don’t have to compete with others to get the attention of an employer. Instead, it can provide a real human connection with someone who has been in your shoes before.
After I reached out to someone I had never met before, I thought my informational interview would be a one-and-done type situation. Yet, right before we ended the call, the alumni I contacted asked me to reach out any time I needed more assistance and told me she could not have gotten to where she was today without support. It surprised me and helped me realize I had just made a connection that is so much more beneficial than I thought it would be.
Use Alumni Search on LinkedIn
Using alumni search on LinkedIn is the best way to start finding new connections to reach out to. Here, you can search and find someone who may work at a company you like or have a position you desire. By reaching out to them via email, you can appeal to them by using your DePaul connection, which is something you will already have in common.
Of course, informational interviews can be done with anyone, but DePaul alumni may be easiest because of that already established mutual connection. I found a psychotherapist who went to DePaul’s undergraduate and graduate program.
I clicked on their website linked to their LinkedIn profile and found their email. I reached out with my DePaul email, explaining that I was interested in being a therapist and was wondering if she could meet with me so I could learn more about what it is like to go down that career path. After she got back to me within a couple hours, I found that having a DePaul connection was just as beneficial as a family/friend connection.
Gain a Better Understanding of the Field or Company You are About to go Into
My informational interview informed me so much of what I needed to do in order to go into the field I want to. I learned that it is probably best to go to graduate school in the state that I would want to practice therapy in.
She also mentioned that getting a doctorate wasn’t really all that necessary. Before the informational interview, I never considered this type of information. I was able to learn that a career is not a set path, and that the internet cannot give you an opinion like a human connection can. Without this, I wouldn’t have been as prepared for my future and would have been unsure of what to do next.
Now, I have a better idea, as well as a person who is offering their support when I need it. After all, we all start somewhere and none of us would be able to get anywhere without the support of others. If you are feeling lost and stuck, you are not alone. There are so many people who have been in your shoes. Informational interviewing can be a great way to find one of those people and gain a better understanding of the path needed to obtain your career goals.
Prepare Questions Ahead of Time
When the interview date arrives, you will come to find that the process of reaching out is the hardest part. To prepare, draft up a couple of questions that are focused on the experience of the person you are interviewing. What do you want to know about them and their career path? How can you fill gaps in your own knowledge about your own next steps?
After having 5-7 questions outlined, the “interview” should feel more like a conversation. Build off of their responses and take notes while being attentive to what they have to say. I found that Zoom was a great place to conduct my informational interviews, as I was more comfortable, it was easy to schedule, and I was in LA while my interviewees were in Chicago. Be calm and comfortable, making sure to thank them for their time. By showing genuine interest, you will seem ahead of the curve, which is a great place to be.
By gaining that human to human connection, the knowledge could not be more personalized and will most likely make you feel better than any online job description or research can. For me, this experience allowed me to understand what another person actually did during their education. I was able to hear what they did and also what they wished they did differently. There is no right path when it comes to a career. Informational interviewing can work wonders, as long as you gather the courage to make the first step.
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Not sure what the future holds? Need support along the way? That’s exactly where we come in. Whether you’re a freshman or an alumni, it’s never too early (or too late) to utilize our services.
Book an appointment with Calvin, or another member of the advising community through Handshake, or by calling the front desk at (773) 325-7431.