Informational Interviews - Why Can't We Be Friends?

I'm going to start a page with quotes and readings about Informational Interviews.  This is being consistently pressed upon me as the way to expand my network.  As someone who ignored LinkedIn until three months before I decided to take the Modified Rule of 75 retirement qualification, I can only say that three months was not enough time to build contacts, get my references in order, figure out my summary portion, escalate my LinkedIn "status," reword my unemployed state, or to begin educating myself about the outside world.

Each day there are so many jobs coming through my email I feel like hyperventilating.  I can't respond to "225 new jobs", or "417 data science jobs." I'm more interested in companies these days than jobs specifically and applying for jobs isn't getting me that information.  It wasn't until a new friend of mine impressed upon me the necessity of, and is currently arranging, an informational interview for me that I had my "pie in the face" moment.

Anyways, this page is to capture good quotes, good articles, and good questions for Informational Interviews only.  I'm not too worried about the job interviews b/c those are really just "sink or swim," you're gonna mesh or you ain't.

This article Michael J. Genevro has a lot of good points to jot down in your handy-dandy little notebook.  What I liked especially are the list of questions one could ask - until one has a freakin' clue of how these things might go.  I know I need those.  More importantly, is the "how," and this is where I'm kicking myself thinking, "Bah-duh!  of course!"  And this is where LinkedIn becomes useful and having your LinkedIn account at least up to some level of professional "look," even if it's not extensive.

That said, once you get your LinkedIn account looking decent, people do look at those to figure out if they do want to know you.  And while we in wireless only know each other, occasionally we might make a friend who knows a shitton of people.  I've now made a few of those friends.  So now, when I look at companies I see these social people I've met before who are linked with others in companies I'm interested in.  This is where you request your friend to set up an introduction.


From Genevro's article,

Conducting Informational Interviews

4 How Do I Set up an Informational Interview?

• Identify individuals to interview – use your existing network or current job research as a starting point.

• Contact the individual, explain your background and request a 15 to 30 minute informational interview.

• If the answer is no, thank the contact and ask if he or she would recommend someone else for an informational interview. Always try to expand your network.

• If the answer is yes, schedule the appointment – schedule the appointment for a specific amount of time and stick to that time allotment.

5 How Do I Conduct an Informational Interview?

• Prepare, prepare, prepare for the informational interview.

• Write down your questions. Prioritize your questions.

• Dress appropriately for the interview and be on time.

• Conduct the interview. If the interviewee extends the time of the interview, that’s fine, but plan on stopping on the interview at the end of the allotted time.

• Ask the interviewee for other possible individuals for you to interview.

• After the interview, send a thank you note within 24 hours.

• Debrief the interview – what did you learn?

• Move on to the next interview – always think “Next!!!” ...