The Power of Informational Interviews
Informational interviews have been instrumental in the advancement of my career. For those that may not know, informational interviews are strategic meetings that are held with people that you admire. It is a great way to get to know someone and get advice about a industry or organization that you are interested in learning more about. Information interviews have helped me to grow my network and learn about opportunities that are not advertised. Information interviews are very different from what you would typically think about interviews. That is because they typically happen in a casual setting or with no pressure attached to the interaction. They’re usually held over a cup of coffee or tea. The key to a great information interview is to come prepared with questions that are tied to your ultimate goal for meeting with the person.
Here are 3 ways that informational interviews have helped me specifically with my doctoral program.
Helped me refine my dissertation topic - I’ve set up numerous informational interviews with faculty members outside of my program to get their insight on my dissertation topic. I was able to talk to people who conducted research in areas that I found interesting. I shared my research interest and they provided recommendations of the direction that I could take with my topic. The biggest benefit for me was that the faculty that I met validated the importance of my research topic. Our conversations gave me the confidence that I needed to move forward.
Brainstorm next steps after doctorate - I worked full time throughout the duration of my doctorate program and initially had dreams of being a Vice President of Student Affairs when I finished. However, I changed my mind along the way. I used my confused state as an opportunity to reach out to other people to learn more about their career journey. I gained resources to listserves that I was not aware of and was introduced to other people that could broaden my outlook.
Found opportunities to collaborate - I was able to express my interest in conducting research with various faculty members both inside and outside of my institution. Doing this led me to collaborate with other faculty members on research projects that they were working on. Ultimately, I gained the experience of getting two program proposals excepted for major academic conferences.
Here are a few tips for making an informational interview successful.
If you ask for an informational interview, be prepared to pay for the coffee or tea. The person is doing you a favor and paying serves as a small token of appreciation for their time.
The information interview is guided by the person who reached out to schedule it. Be prepared with questions and make sure that they are conversational in nature. Make sure that your questions are a balance of tying to get to know the person better as well as attempting to get the information that you initially set out to obtain.
Ask if they think that they know someone else that you should talk to related to the information that you are doing research on. This is a great way to connect with people who are a part of their professional network.
Offer to help the person with something. The person has taken time out of their schedule to meet with you and provide you with advice that you will find beneficial. You may think that you do not have anything to offer. Take stock of your skills and abilities and ask the person how you can help.
After the meeting, be sure to send a thank you note.
Have you had success with information interviews? Share your experience in the comment section.
