Approaching the Informational Interview in 30 Minutes or Less
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small, manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one." —Mark Twain
Switching jobs, starting the search for a new career, and learning what options exist for you can feel like an incredibly daunting task.
You are not in this alone in this journey. Today, we take a small step to break down barriers towards getting you the information you need make a decision with clarity and confidence.
Here is a task you can do in 30 minutes or less to help you move the needle on your career journey!
This weeks challenge is to setup two behavioral interviews! One for a company you would be interested in working at and another for a type of role/position you are considering applying to!
Check out the resources below to help you accomplish the first challenge:
Company Informational Interview
The goal here is to learn about the company culture and see if the environment is one you can see yourself working in.
Here is an example email template you can use:
Hi [name of person],
I saw that you are working at [company]. I would love to learn more about the culture of the company. Would you be willing to hop on a call for 15-30 minutes to share more about your experience? I am typically free from [time to time on day].
Best,
[your name]
Position Informational Interview
The goal here is to demystify what it means to do a job at a specific company. You want to see if the skills and opportunities for growth align with your ambitions.
Here is an example email template you can use:
Hi [name of person],
I saw that you are working at [company] as a [position name]. I am considering a role change and would be interested in understanding what the day to day is like for a [position name]. Would you be willing to hop on a call for 15-30 minutes to share more about your experience? I am typically free from [time to time on day].
Best,
[your name]
Who should I reach out to?
That is a great question! We recommend the following places to get started:
Friends or Family Members - This is likely the path of least resistance and could be good practice territory if you are nervous to get started. Remember your friends and family don't need to be the people you end up talking to. You can always ask your community if they know someone who works at Ben and Jerrys or a similar company who they would be willing to connect you with.
Affiliation Group Connection (ie: college, high school, service program, mutual club) - You can find people who share an affiliation group with you. For example as an AmeriCorps member, I can search for others in a public group or through a tool like LinkedIn to see if anyone from that group has a role I am interested in or works at a company I'd like to learn more about.
LinkedIn Connections - This can either be people you are directly connected to or ones who are third degree connections - for the ones who are third degree connections we would recommend adding a line about why they are particularly interesting to you.
Community Groups - People on various community forums like facebook, reddit, quora, slack channels etc. are incredibly supportive. We recommend asking if someone on a group can support you or knows someone that you can be connected with to learn more about a position or company. While working on this website, I made a post on the women in product group on facebook and was in awe by how many people were willing to share their stories with me and provide website feedback.
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about resmrkt
resmrkt is the first digital marketplace dedicated to helping you achieve your career goals. we offer 45 minute career pathing, resume review, cover letter support, and interview prep video services. you get to be in the drivers seat and select an advisor from our listings that meets your needs. every advisor has been vetted by our team and comes with the most up to date industry and hiring knowledge. we believe that career coaching should be accessible to everyone and that everyone has the right to be working in a job they absolutely love.