Informational Interview

An informational interview is an informal conversation, usually lasting approximately 15-20 minutes, with a person working in a career field that interests you. It is not a job interview, and the purpose is not to find job openings. Rather, it’s a way to explore a given field. It can also give you an opportunity to get an “inside look” into a field or organization where you may want to work in the future.

Step 1: Identify who to talk to

You may feel awkward reaching out to people you don’t know. You are not alone! Know that most people enjoy taking a bit of time out of their day to reflect on their professional life and give advice to someone interested in their field.

You can start with someone you may already know from growing up, through a friend or family connection. You might also reach out to someone you have connected with at UVA, such as a peer leader, faculty or staff member. Connecting with a UVA Alumni is another great option, whether through LinkedIn or Virginia Alumni Mentoring (VAM). If you have questions about connecting with alumni or navigating VAM the Career Center can help! You can also reach out to someone without knowing them as well, perhaps someone local in Charlottesville or your hometown that you’ve found
online.

Step 2: Initiate contact

Contact the person through email, by phone, or through LinkedIn. If you do not know them, be sure to briefly introduce yourself and how you got their name. Emphasize that you are hoping to gain some insight and information, not a job, and that you'd like to briefly connect in person or by phone or Zoom soon. Be sure to communicate professionally!

Step 3: Prepare for the conversation

Develop a brief introduction of yourself, why you identified this person for the meeting and some hopes for the meeting. I recommend preparing a list of open-ended questions about their job, their industry, their pathway and more that you can read from and take notes on while you talk. You might find these examples from UC Berkeley’s Career Center helpful as inspiration. Your conversation
will likely take off once you get started, but it can help calm your nerves to have this prepared to reference.

Step 4: Conduct the informational interview

• If you plan to meet in person, plan to dress neatly and conduct yourself professionally.
• Plan to arrive or be ready a few minutes before your meeting begins so you will be on time!
• Bring your list of questions and a pen to take notes.
• Be ready with your brief introduction, your background etc.
• Be ready to initiate and direct the conversation but also allow it to flow how it will. Aim to have the person you are connecting with doing most of the talking.
• Respect their time and aim to keep the conversation short as agreed upon (recommend 15-20 minutes).
• As you wrap up, ask if you may contact them in the future with other questions. Also ask if they have anyone they'd recommend you connect with and if so, if they'd be willing to connect you. This is networking!

Step 5: Thank them

Be sure to follow up any conversation with an appreciation for the person's time and information they've shared. Sending a handwritten note is ideal but an email will also do. It need not be long. If you follow any advice they provided, circle back with them to briefly update them!

The above information was adapted by Christy Rotman from UC Berkeley's Career Center.