Instructor:
Ms. C. Morrin
Personal Development 124
Purpose: This research guide
has been designed by your instructor and librarian to help you complete
your assignment.
Informational
Interviewing
One of the best sources for gathering information about
what's happening in an occupation or an industry is to talk
to people working in the field. This process is called
informational or research interviewing. An
informational interview is an interview that you
initiate - you ask the questions. The purpose is to obtain
information, not to get a job.
Following are some good REASONS TO CONDUCT
INFORMATIONAL INTEVIEWS:
- to explore careers and clarify
your career goal
- to discover employment
opportunities that are not advertised
- to expand your professional
network
- to build confidence for your job
interviews
- to access the most up-to-date
career information
- to identify your professional
strengths and weaknesses
Listed below are STEPS TO FOLLOW TO CONDUCT AN
INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW:
- Identify the Occupation or
Industry You Wish to Learn About Assess your
own interests, abilities, values, and skills, and
evaluate labor conditions and trends to identify the
best fields to research.
- Prepare for the Interview
Read all you can about the field
prior to the interview. Decide what information you would
like to obtain about the occupation/industry. Prepare a list
of questions that you would like to have answered.
- Identify People to
Interview
Start with lists of people you
already know - friends, relatives, fellow students, present
or former co-workers, supervisors, neighbors, etc...
Professional organizations, the yellow pages, organizational
directories, and public speakers are also good resources.
You may also call an organization and ask for the name of
the person by job title.
- Arrange the Interview
Contact the person to set up an
interview:
- by telephone,
- by a letter followed by a
telephone call, or
- by having someone who knows
the person make the appointment for you.
- Conduct the Interview
Dress appropriately, arrive on time,
be polite and professional. Refer to your list of prepared
questions; stay on track, but allow for spontaneous discussion.
Before leaving, ask your contact to suggest names of others who
might be helpful to you and ask permission to use your contact's
name when contacting these new contacts.
- Follow Up
Immediately following the interview,
record the information gathered. Be sure to send a thank-you
note to your contact within one week of the interview.
NOTE: Always analyze
the information you've gathered. Adjust your job search, resume,
and career objective if necessary.
20 QUESTIONS! Prepare a list of your own
questions for your informational interview.
- On a typical day in this position,
what do you do?
- What training or education is required
for this type of work?
- What personal qualities or abilities
are important to being successful in this job?
- What part of this job do you find most
satisfying? most challenging?
- How did you get your job?
- What opportunities for advancement are
there in this field?
- What entry level jobs are best for
learning as much as possible?
- What are the salary ranges for various
levels in this field?
- How do you see jobs in this field
changing in the future?
- Is there a demand for people in this
occupation?
- What special advice would you give a
person entering this field?
- What types of training do companies
offer persons entering this field?
- What are the basic prerequisites for
jobs in this field?
- Which professional journals and
organizations would help me learn more about this field?
- What do you think of the experience
I've had so far in terms of entering this field?
- From your perspective, what are the
problems you see working in this field?
- If you could do things all over again,
would you choose the same path for yourself? Why? What would
you change?
- With the information you have about my
education, skills, and experience, what other fields or jobs
would you suggest I research further before I make a final
decision?
- What do you think of my resume? Do you
see any problem areas? How would you suggest I change it?
- Who do you know that I should talk to
next? When I call him/her, may I use your name?
El
Cajon, California 92019 
