How it helps you?

• Discover what skills are required for certain jobs and match them with your abilities and strengths.

• Gather information on a specific organization/ company or investigate a specific position.

• The people with whom you speak can remain contacts and can lead you to other, perhaps even better, contacts and sources of information.

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How do I get started?

• Contact the Center for Career Engagement to meet with a counselor about your career interests. Based on your conversation with the counselor, they can help connect you with alumni, parents, or friends of the College with whom you can conduct an informational interview.

• Join LinkedIn and the Gettysburg College Professional Network in order to connect with Gettysburgians working in your field(s) of interest.

• Contact organizations that employ people with career interests similar to yours. Utilize resources like a local Chamber of Commerce to help identify specific agencies, organizations, or companies to contact.

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Arranging an informational interview

• Call, email, or send a LinkedIn message to introduce yourself and your purpose for the contact. "I am a sophomore at Gettysburg College interested in the field of ____ and would like to learn more about your position as ______, as well as the overall career field. Would you be willing to speak with me about your career and/or career path?"

• Have a referral - either have someone who knows the person make the initial connection or mention that "____ suggested I contact you to see if you would be willing to speak with me about your career."

• EMPHASIZE THAT YOU ARE NOT ASKING FOR A JOB OR INTERNSHIP!

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Preparing for the informational interview:

• Keep the interview to 20-30 minutes, but allot yourself extra time should your conversation run longer. People like to be helpful and enjoy talking about themselves.

• Do your research. It is a good idea to develop a basic understanding of the occupational field and companies prior to conducting Informational Interviews.

• Prepare questions prior to informational interviewing and be sure to have a notebook with the questions you are asking, as well as the responses you receive. (see the Sample Questions section)

• If you are meeting in person, base your attire on the setting. If you are unsure, it is better to be overly professional than not enough – remember, you are also making a positive impression.

• Provide a resume. It will give your contact an idea of how you are presenting yourself, and something to remind them of you in the future.

• Always ask who else you should contact prior to the conclusion of your discussion. This referral is sometimes the best lead you can get!

• Keep a list of the people with whom you talk and their job titles, addresses and phone numbers.

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Follow-up with a Thank You and keep in touch!

• Send a thank you email and/or handwritten note. It will help you be remembered by the contact person in a positive light.

• Keep in touch – cultivate the relationship! Send industry related articles or other communications related to your conversation that might be of interest.

• At a later date, you might want to send a letter or email expressing interest in working for them, recalling your informational interview and enclosing a copy of your resume. You may also want to telephone the contact person, remind him/her of your informational interview and inquire about employment or internship opportunities that they may have knowledge of within your field of interest.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Since you are interviewing for information only, use this opportunity to learn as much as you can about the particular occupation. Here are a few examples:

• Tell me about your present position and some of the responsibilities.

• What skills or talents are most essential for effectiveness in this job?

• What do you find most rewarding/challenging about the work you do?

• What credentials, educational degrees, licenses, etc. are required for entry into this kind of work?

• How did you prepare yourself for this kind of work?

• What prior experiences are absolutely essential? What kind of experiences would you most strongly recommend?

• What obligations does your work place upon you, if any, outside of the ordinary workweek? Do you enjoy these obligations?

• How much flexibility do you have in terms of dress, hours of work, vacation schedule, place of residence, etc?

• What types of employers hire people in your line of work? Where are they located?

• How/Where are jobs advertised (i.e. online, word-of-mouth, Human Resources Office)?

• If you were to hire someone to work with you today, what factors would be most important in your hiring decision and why?

• If the work you do were suddenly eliminated, what different kinds of work do you feel that you could do?

• How rapidly is your present career field growing? How would you describe or estimate future prospects?

• If things develop as you'd like, what would be the next step in your career?

• Based on our conversation, what other people do you believe I should talk to? Can you name a few of these people who might be willing to talk with me? May I have permission to use your name when I contact them?

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For more information on informational interviewing, contact the Center for Career Engagement.