Crafting a winning conversation
Who Do You Want To Talk To and Why?
Start with your goal. What information are you looking to gather? This will help you identify who you need or want to speak to.
Work your existing network. Do you know anyone in the industry you’re interested in? Do you know anyone at the company you’re interested in? You will frequently be surprised to learn about other people’s connections. Someone who might now be in a communications role may have started out in marketing. Or they might be good friends with the marketing director and could introduce you. Every connection can be valuable.
Regardless of who you are speaking with, you want to reiterate that your goal is information gathering.
Pro TipPro Tip
Sometimes, offering to buy a cup of coffee in exchange for their time and insights is a good, informal way to approach this sort of invitation. It implies and reiterates that you are just looking to pick their brain rather than get a job!
Ultimately, though, you want to make it easy for them to say yes. So, if a phone call or virtual meeting works better with their calendar, and yours, go with it.
General Guidelines
Figure out how long you have
Knowing if you have 15 minutes or an hour helps you narrow down what you want to focus on. You don’t want to spend 15 minutes asking about their career goals only to find out that was all the time they have. But do be prepared if the conversation is going well and they want to continue to talk.
Know who you are talking to
Do some research on who you are speaking to before you speak. This will help you customize your questions. You don’t want to be asking about information that is readily available on the website or far outside their knowledge and experience.
Create a list of questions to cover
Create a list of questions you can refer to throughout your meeting to make sure you stay on track. Make sure you include specific questions that relate to different fields of work, different industries, and specific companies.
Be aware of your setting
If you are meeting virtually, make sure you arrange your room to make a good impression. Think about what the camera will see.
Approach this as a conversation
Come prepared with your questions, but be ready to adapt to the conversation and the audience. For example, they may not be comfortable talking about some of the specifics you are interested in, so adapt and talk more about the industry.
Dress Appropriately
This is not a job interview, but you still want to make a stellar impression, and part of that is in how you present yourself, even if it is in a virtual meeting.
Structuring your Interview
Starting off Right
Starting your conversation off on the right foot is important. Make sure you thank them for their time and reconfirm how long they are available. Make sure you acknowledge the connection that got you this meeting. This is the time for breaking the ice and establishing the relationship.
Rookie Mistake
Try not to just launch straight into your questions. While their time is valuable, you still want to set the stage for a comfortable dialogue and not an interrogation.
Understanding the Industry
Having knowledge about the industry will be invaluable. You might think a job in HR would be the same no matter what, but there are industry-specific challenges that people in these roles face.
Regulations may be shrinking an industry, or advancements in technology may be replacing industry segments! Having valuable insight into this will help you make informed decisions.
Understanding the Work
Job descriptions don’t always tell the full story. Finding out what someone enjoys most and least about what they do can help you decide if it is a good fit.
Remember, just because someone else finds a certain aspect of the work dissatisfying doesn’t mean you will. Someone may hate updating spreadsheets while you get excited about the idea of conditional formatting and pivot tables!
Understanding the Necessary Skills
Having a better understanding of what specific skills this person uses in their role will help you know if there are gaps in your own skills or education. This will help you determine if you need to address these gaps prior to applying for any positions or if you can learn on the job.
Understanding the Company
This is a great opportunity to find out a inside opinion about both the company and how it fits into a competitive marketplace. Is it the leader in the market or the disruptor startup?
And would this person recommend their company? Why? Listen closely to their sales pitch of their own company.
Understanding the Culture
Company culture is sometimes difficult to articulate, but finding out if both the job and the environment would be a good fit for you and what you want is important. You can get a sense of fit by asking questions.
General Guidelines
Ask for recommendations
This person may not have the answers to all your questions. Ask for suggestions on who else you should speak to, either at their company or in the industry. They may not be able to provide a personal introduction, but they can point you in the right direction.
Send a Thank You Note
If you want to stand out and they are well connected to help you in the future, send a handwritten thank you note. But at the very least, send a thank you by email to show your appreciation. Make sure you customize it, perhaps by mentioning something valuable you learned from them.
Concluding your Conversation
Having a solid end to your conversation is important, as this is the final moment to make a good impression. This is your opportunity to make additional connections or get personalized advice on what you should do next.
Remember you should never directly ask for a job in an informational interview; instead, ask for next steps.
Wrapping Up
After you have finished, you should always follow up on anything you said you would do during the conversation.
- Send your thank you note.
- Make sure to connect with the people who were suggested to you.
- Review your notes to see if you have any follow-up questions you want addressed.
Informational Interviews get better with practice! The more you have, the more adept you will become in leading the conversation to uncover useful information and develop your network.
What's nice is that this practice will also help you in your real interviews. Not only will you come prepared with well-informed answers, but you will have practice asking meaningful questions.