Information interviews
Information interviews are a great way to explore the
requirements of specific occupations before you make
decisions about your career. You will need to interview a
person who works in a similar job to one that you may be
considering. You can conduct information interviews in
person, on the telephone or via email.
If it is not a job interview, why bother?
Information interviews can help you:
- obtain current, accurate information from someone in a
career field
- make valuable contacts in a specific industry and extend
your network
- gather information about a specific industry or
organisation
- gain confidence for job interviews
- use relevant information to create the best résumé and
letter of application for a position.
Use the steps below as a guide to help you set up an
information interview.
Decide the purpose of your interview. This could be to:
- collect information on an occupation or career pathway
- find out about courses or a training program
- research an industry
- explore an organisation; or
- speak with a person who is in a position to offer
employment.
Start by making a list of
occupations and industries you wish to explore. Use The Facts
section in myfuture to locate occupations you may want to
research.
Use the Occupations link under the heading Work and
Employment.
Enter an occupation you may be interested in to find out
about the duties and tasks involved.
You could also use the Industries link to locate information
on an industry that interests you. Your research will help
you to develop a set of specific questions to ask during your
information interview.
Now that you have identified your occupation and industry
interests ask your family, friends, teachers, work colleagues
or other community reference sources if they have any
contacts. Use your network to get the names and details of
possible interview contacts or
contact an organisation directly. Use the internet or
telephone directories to locate companies. Identify someone
you can interview. This could be the:
- recruitment officer
- human resources manager
- personnel manager, or
- careers advisor.
When you call the organisation, make it clear that you are
not looking for a job but are requesting information on
occupations and career paths in the industry. Explain where
you are from and why you are contacting them. For example you
can start with:
- your name and current situation
- details about your study, work or training.
Request to speak with someone in the organisation about a
specific occupation or industry area.
Once you have made contact you can:
- explain that you want to find information on
occupations in their industry.
- make an appointment for a definite period of time,
usually 15 to 20 minutes, at a later date.
- agree on whether the interview will take place over
the telephone, via email or in person.
- record the person’s name, day, date and time for
the interview.
Be patient. You may experience a few knock backs before you
secure an interview.
Once you have gathered information from your research and
made a list of contacts, you need to prepare your questions.
Organise your questions under categories:
- job related
- qualifications and training
- organisation information
- job opportunities
- volunteer work experience
- suggestions or referrals.
Plan what you will ask. Use lots of open-ended questions.
These are questions that require more than a yes or
no to answer. Be clear that you are not looking
for a job at this time but that you are trying to gather
information for a future career.
Questions to consider asking in the interview:
- What are the tasks and key responsibilities related to
the job?
- How did you become interested in this job and
organisation?
- How did you find your current job?
- What qualifications or training are needed for this
job?
- What are the skills and attributes required for the
job?
- What are the positive or negative aspects to the
job?
- What similar positions are available in your
organisation?
- How does your organisation advertise vacancies?
- What are some of the major challenges your
organisation may face in the coming year?
- Is there volunteer work experience available with
this organisation?
- Can you refer me to someone else in the industry I
can talk to? May I let them know that you passed on their
contact details to me?
The same rules apply for information interviews as for job
interviews. Be prepared!
- Write out your questions clearly so you can refer to them
during the interview.
- Dress and speak as if this were a job interview.
- Turn off your mobile phone.
- Start the interview on time. Stick to your time frame of
20 minutes. Remember someone is giving up their time to
assist you during their working day.
- Introduce yourself and thank the contact for making time
to speak with you.
- Restate that your purpose is to gather information about
an occupation.
- Ask specific questions.
- Be confident and speak clearly.
- Show you are keen by listening and paying attention. This
is not a job interview, but the information you uncover could
lead to one.
- Close the interview on a positive note and thank them
again for their time.
It is good practice to send a thank you email or letter after
the interview has taken place. Try to do this the same day as
the interview so you don’t forget! Your contact has invested
time in you and will appreciate some feedback indicating that
the information was useful to your career development. This
demonstrates your commitment to the job seeking process and
can improve your networking.
After the interview:
- review your interview notes and make a summary.
- add notes to your job
lead sheets.
- evaluate the experience by reflecting on the information
you have collected.
- think about your interview style. What worked well? Were
your questions to the point? Did you get enough information?
Was your information relevant to your needs?
- consider changes to your question. Should you order them
differently or do more research on the industry before the
next interview? Should you reduce or increase the number of
questions?
You can consider:
- first impressions about this organisation
- qualifications and training required for particular
occupations
- skills and attributes required for this career field or
organisation
- related occupations
- suggested further contacts or referrals
- future job prospects.
Use your notes and reflection to plan your next information
interview.
Remember…
- Information interviews are a fact-finding process.
- State your purpose clearly and be prepared to initiate
conversation.
- Take notes during your interview, but seek permission
first.
- Review your information and use it to plan future job
applications.