A career conversation, also referred to as an informational interview, is a 30-45 minute meeting with a professional in a field or career that interests you. It not a job interview. You’re in control of asking questions to gather information to determine if a specific career or industry is a good fit for you. Career conversations also help you establish a network of professionals in the industry – folks you can follow on Handshake and LinkedIn – who you can consider part of your growing professional community.
For example: You’re interested in becoming an architect but haven’t had exposure to an architectural office. You have questions! Are there multiple career paths for graduates with a degree in architecture? What is the typical work day look like for an Architect? How much time is really spent doing design work? You can research careers in architecture online but before you invest time in an internship or commit to a career path, talking to an architect is a wise move. A career conversation offers real talk – deeper insights that you can’t get from a job board or employer website.
When you’re ready, setting up a career conversation is simple:
- Find a professional in the field either through a referral, web search, Handshake or LinkedIn.
- Reach out to see if they are willing to chat with you over Zoom or over coffee.
- Repeat.
If you’re not sure how to reach out to someone you don’t already know, read Introducing: The Email Template That’ll Get You a Meeting with Anyone You Ask.
What questions should I ask?
Before your career conversation, you’ll want to prepare a list of questions. Here are a few examples to get you started.
- What is your career story?
- How and why did you choose this profession?
- What kinds of skills does someone need to succeed in this position?
- What is the interview process like?
- Why do you think you got this position?
- What activities outside of the field help you on the job?
- What have you learned from this role?
- Was your major in college relevant to your role? Why or why not?
- Do you have a mentor? How have they helped you?
- What are some of the challenges that you often face?
- What is the most surprising thing about your job or the field in general?
- What is one thing you wish you would have known before you started?
- Where do you see yourself in five (ten, fifteen, etc.) years?
- How flexible is your role?
- How has the role/field/industry/company changed since you started?
For an in depth description of each of these questions and why you should ask them read: Top 15 Informational Interview Questions to Ask (and Why).
More Helpful Resources
Need some more ideas? Check out these articles and videos. Good luck and happy learning!
- 7 Questions You Can’t Leave an Informational Interview Without Asking
- 5 Questions to Ask During an “Informational Interview”
- 40 Questions to Ask in an Informational Interview
- Video-Informational Interview Tips: Scheduling, Example Questions to Ask & More!
- Video-How to Land an Informational Interview and the Best Questions to Ask!
- Video-Informational Interview Tips!
