Do you know someone who seems to have the “perfect” job? Or you know ABOUT someone who seems to have the perfect job (maybe they are not a friend or acquaintance)? Or perhaps you’ve heard about a job that seems “perfect” for you? Maybe you think: “Wow! That is a job I would LOVE to have!” Or even felt a little jealous about another’s career? Pay attention to these feelings! Your feelings are another great indicator of what you truly want for own potential career. And you can gather information from people already in the job/career, and use it to decide if it is indeed the job for you.
How can you do that? YOU can interview THEM! We so often think of interviews in terms of companies and individuals interviewing us – but as people searching for a new career we can also interview –for information! This is a great way to get information “from the horse’s mouth” so to speak! You can contact this person (or people) and ask if you may ask them some questions about themselves and their jobs. Truthfully, most people enjoy talking about themselves and their lives. Whereas you may not get a foot in the door as a candidate, you are much more likely to get a “meeting” with just about anyone, if you are there to ask them questions about
themselves! The purpose of this interview is fact-finding, NOT selling yourself as a candidate.
PLEASE remember this, because if you are secretly using this as an opportunity to try to get a job, the person you are interviewing will know it. Your “interview” will not be a success. I had a career counseling client once who was interested in a career in Human Resources Management. I was able to get her an “informational interview” with a former colleague of mine, who managed a large HR team and was very busy. My client used the meeting it to try to get a job. My HR friend was annoyed at me, and annoyed with this person for wasting his time. I encourage you not to be tempted to use it to try to get a job.
Let’s get back to the purpose of this interview. The idea here is to get information about the job and career. You must be sincere about that, because when you contact this person regarding a meeting, you will have to state in no uncertain terms that that is your objective. And mean it. So, how do you go about doing this?
You have your own style and ways of doing arranging and conducting meetings, but if you need a guide, here are suggestions:
ARRANGE THE MEETING WITH A FRIEND--USE YOUR NETWORK
If you have an idea of the job you are interested in, but don’t know anyone who does that job –ask all of your friends, family, colleagues or former colleagues, friends-of-colleagues, and friends-of-friends, for a CONTACT (someone who is in the profession and doing the job). This is where networking comes in. If you do receive a contact this way, ask your friend to call the contact first and let him or her know your objective. If your friend can make the appointment, fine. But you can also make a follow-up call to the contact and set up an appointment.If you can’t get a name this way; if your friends and acquaintances don’t know of anyone, use the internet. Find a company or organization that has this job, and GET A NAME (and phone number, and email address). You will probably not be successful if you contact a company or organization just looking for someone with the job title. Once you have identified a person to speak to:
1. Contact the person (by phone is preferable) and tell him or her exactly what you are doing, for example: “I am exploring new careers, and I am interested in researching a career/job like yours. Will you meet with me for ½ hour (45 minutes, 1 hour) so that I can ask you some questions about your background, and the elements of your job? I am gathering information, and am interested in hearing about your background.”
Response: “well, I’m sorry I am really busy these days and don’t have the time for interviews.”
Your response: “my purpose is only to gather information, and I am very interested in YOUR personal background, how you ended up in this job, and what the job and career is like.”
Response: “I am sorry but I just don’t have the time.”
Your response: “I would be happy to meet you at any convenient time.
(or take you to lunch at your convenience),
(or treat you to a coffee),(or meet you for a drink after work),
(or meet you on a Saturday),
(or meet you before you begin work).
Be flexible –not aggressive- but provide alternatives so the person will have difficulty saying “no”!
2. If you are sincere the contact will know it. Also, don’t lose hope if the contact has to postpone the agreed-upon meeting time. If the person is too difficult or consistently unavailable though, find another person to speak to.
3. Use your friends and contacts as much as you can. It is more difficult for cancelations when a person is doing a “favor-for-a-friend”!
PREPARING FOR THE MEETING
Be prepared by having a list of questions ready. Let’s say, for example, that you are thinking about a career as an elementary school teacher. You make an appointment with a friend-of-a-friend. She is willing to meet with you for an hour and you set the time and date. What are you going to ask?For example(You may want to start the meeting with chit-chat about your mutual friend – but ALWAYS begin by thanking the person for taking the time to see you. Let the contact know you will keep the meeting within the time parameters you discussed):
Please describe your job.
How did you prepare for this job in terms of your own background/education/ experiences?
What are the job requirements in terms of background/education/experiences?
What drew you to this line of work?
What do you love about this job?What do you dislike about it?
Can you describe a typical day?
What (using this example) inspired you to teach young children as opposed to teenagers or adults?
What would you say are the characteristics of a “successful” elementary school teacher?
You said you are in the classroom 6 hours per day. How much time out of the classroom do you spend preparing? (How many hours a week do you work?)
What surprised you about this job? Get real-life examples when you can (this is a corporate interviewing technique –always get examples!)
Tell me in detail what the various elements or aspects of the job are?
Where can you go with this job –or what would you hypothetically do next? (promotions, movement)
What is the pay level typically at this level? (This is a tricky one obviously so don’t get too personal!)
You may also discuss your background and ask for feedback –IF you think it is relevant and appropriate, and IF you are not asking them for a job. For example, “I am thinking of going back to school to get a specialized degree to increase my qualifications. What would you suggest?” Or, “I have some experience working with children in day care”. Do you think this is relevant?
You might also ask, if appropriate, if there are other people this contact knows who might be relevant for you to speak to.
You will think of other questions specific to the actual career itself. If it helps, approach the meeting as if you were writing an in-depth article on this career, and are gathering information to do that.
Keep the meeting within the parameters that were agreed upon –i.e. ½ hour, 45 minutes, etc. Listen and take notes. Don’t forget to turn off your mobile phone. Ask follow-up questions as they occur to you. Ask if you may contact the person if another question comes up. Ask for a business card, and give the person a card if you can.
FOLLOWUP
Send a thank-you note to the person, (via letter or email) letting them know how much you appreciate the meeting. Include your (email address) and phone number. It is also helpful to mention that if the contact in the future remembers anything else relevent to this career, or any other person you should speak to, to feel free to contact you.
Years ago I had another client who believed she wanted to be a journalist. A friend-of-a-friend set up an appointment with another journalist friend, a young woman, for the purpose of sharing information. The journalist was aware that my client was considering a career in journalism. My client was to meet this journalist at a cafe to chat. Of course my client had never met the journalist. When my client arrived, she saw that there were two other young women in other seats, but she did not ask either of them if they were the person with whom she had an appointment. One of them was, unfortunately, and was not impressed that my client, who wanted to be an investigative journalist, did not think (or was too shy) to ask! Just a reminder that behavior is important.
It is important to allow the contact to do most of the talking. Studies on corporate job interviews have shown that when the interviewer does most of the talking, he/she comes away from the interview with a more positive impression of the candidate (the person who hasn’t done most of the talking!). These studies suggest that when we leave a conversation and have spoken a lot, we not only have a positive reaction to the conversation, but to the other(s) in it, even if they have been silent! Take advantage of this human-tendency and use it to gather information about the career you desire.
Because the objective of this meeting is to provide you with information, as a result of this meeting, you may decide you are interested, or not interested in the career. Or it may inspire new ideas relative to a career, and other contacts to investigate. In any case, you will have more information about this career you have envisioned for yourself. Last, but not least, sometimes these informational interviews CAN lead to other unforeseen opportunities, especially when the person gathering information has conducted himself/herself in a courteous and professional manner. That will impress the contact! He or she may think of you first when the company is looking for a “trainee,” (these types of jobs are very frequently hired within companies based on referrals), or other position that subsequently becomes available. You never know!
Have fun with this and feel free to contact me if you have questions! With warm regards, Jill
*reprinted from Google Images
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