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…
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.
