While on your WIL experience, identify times that are appropriate to connect with an appropriate contact at the organization and have an informational interview or a “coffee chat” with them. Those you reach out to do not have to be the employee you report to or a co-worker but can be other employees you may be interested in connecting with after doing some research.
Informational interviews are conversations that you arrange with someone to learn:
- more information about an employer,
- a career path for you, their career path or role they have,
- alumni stories,
- and any other types of information you’d like to know.
Informational interviews provide a great opportunity to build community and gather information to make well-informed decisions about your career path.
In general, informational interviews can be conducted with:
- People you know
- Employees at organizations you’d like to work for
- Hiring managers or recruiters
- Alumni whose career path you’re interested in
Informational interviews typically last around 15 to 30 minutes and can be conducted in person, through video calls, or over the phone. It's essential to craft a set of questions you'd like to pose to your connection, while also remaining open to inquiries that may arise from their responses. Demonstrating awareness of their time constraints is crucial, as they are likely dedicating their free time to speak with you. Being well-prepared before the informational interview is a thoughtful way to convey your respect for their time and your genuine investment in the interaction.
In advance of the interview, review their LinkedIn profile and familiarize yourself with their career path (for future informational interviews outside of your WIL experience, also research the organization they're affiliated with). The questions you prepare could span various categories, although there might be additional questions that don't neatly fit into the suggested categories.
Examples of Informational Interview Question Categories
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Their Background/Career Path
This information can help you understand what skills, experiences and competencies may be needed for specific careers.
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Their Day-To-Day Job Duties
This information can help you consider and explore the skills you’d like to use every day.
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Their Workplace Culture
This information can help you think of your values and interests and if they align with a particular employer.
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Any Advice Or Recommendations For You
This can help you learn their “lessons learned” from their experiences and career path and what they might have done differently, or what they wish they knew when they were in your position.
What these questions are depends on the kind of information you’d like to know from that specific person and/or about that specific employer, depending on the role they have, their position in the organization, and if they have a career path you want to hear more about. Your questions will also be informed by what you are looking for in an employer and/or in a job.
Importantly, at the end of the informational interview conversation, you should always inquire if there is anyone else they’d recommend you talk to. Asking this question can further expand your connections with a referral and increase the likelihood of potential new connections responding to you.
Informational interviews are not exclusively focused on getting a job nor does there have to be a job available. Informational interviews are for gaining information and building connections, planting seeds, and gaining insider insight that can be useful for applying for future positions. Sometimes informational interviews do lead to information about an opportunity, but not always.
Conclusion
In your WIL, you will be making new connections, but remember, you can have informational interviews with the people you know. Sometimes, starting with informational interviews with the people you know will support you with feeling more comfortable and getting used to this genre of communication. This might make it easier to connect with people you don't know in future informational interviews.
You can always start with your colleagues in the class. Connecting with colleagues will also provide you with the opportunity to practice articulating your coursework, academic knowledge, and/or research outside of an academic context or audience, helping you to continue developing the skill of talking to non-experts and/or non-academic professionals. Happy chatting!