What to Know

Informational interviews are conversations where you interview someone about their work, career path, and industry insights. They're incredibly powerful because:

• People like talking about themselves and their work
• You build relationships before you need them
• You discover opportunities you didn't know existed
• You get advice from people who've succeeded in your areas of interest

How to conduct informational interviews:

There are several components involved in a successful informational interview.

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• Request the Interview
• Schedule the Interview
• Prepare for the Interview
• Conduct the Interview
• Follow-Up after the Interview

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📌 Pro-tip: When conducting informational interviews, ask for recommendations on which professional groups might be beneficial for you to join (See Step 2: Join Professional Networks for more information on how to select and join professional groups).

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There are no activities for this step, but please check out the tools that can support you in conducting informational interviews:

🛠️ Use the Informational Interview Email Templates to support communications before and after the interview.

🛠️ Use the Informational Interview Worksheet to prepare for and conduct your interviews

🛠️ Track your outreach in the Informational Interview Tracker

Move on to Step 2: Join Professional Networks