Okay, I know I posted recently on informational interviews, but when I went back to look at it, I decided I needed to give you better examples of what to do. Right now, if you search for “informational interview questions” on Google you’ll get a whole lot of crap about asking people how they got into their field and what they do at so-and-so organization.
My best tip: Don’t ask them anything you could have found out online.
Now that we have such great services such as LinkedIn, About.me and Google, you can find lots of information about people (however creepy) before you talk to them on the phone. This is your chance to do your research, ask informed questions, and then potentially ask for help.
Some of my personal favorite things to do with informational interviews:
- If you are interested in working there, ask where the company sees growth or where her frustrations are. Then, relay how you could help to relieve that frustration or support the growth.
- Again, if you want to work there, ask about the company culture, or how he would describe the people he works with. This is not only a good question, but will help you see if you’re a good fit for that team.
- Search Google or Technorati to see if the person you’re talking to has a blog, and ask them an in depth question about what they write about. Again, this shows you did your research and have a brain! With this, if you’re confused by something on the company’s site/blog, ask for clarification. It shows interest, desire to learn, and keeps the conversation flowing.
- Ask for recommendations on books, websites or blogs that would pertain to someone interested in their line of work. Explain that you already read the more prominent examples (ex: I’ll say I already read Mashable or TechCrunch) and then ask if they have any others.