Information Interviewing – What Do You Want To Know? (Part 2/5)

Post Date: March 27th, 2015

How did you enjoy researching this potential field you are considering as a career change? Did it energize you? Did you feel overwhelmed or fearful? It can be interesting to identify the emotion you experience and see what’s prompting it. Fear in particular can be complex. Is it based on reality or insecurities that can be overcome? What would you need in order to reduce the fear? More information, skills, knowledge? What steps, if you chose to pursue this new field, could you take to get that missing ingredient?

On to the next step… What do you want to know?

Most people enjoy sharing information and their experiences. The key to informational interviewing is to be well prepared, prompt, and respectful of your source’s time. Requesting 20 minutes for a phone or in-person conversation is usually accepted. That said, 20 minutes only allows for you to ask 6-8 questions. To maximize your time, I have a formula, but we’ll cover that later.

What specifically would you like to know from someone in the field? Perhaps something regarding what you fear to see if it is your fear is well founded? (Fears that often come up here are around money and the need for a degree from a prestigious college.)

To prime your thinking, here are a few suggestions to get started:

– What is ‘a day in the life of’ really like?

– Where can you learn more about this field? ( associations, job boards, places to network)

– How do you see the field changing over the next 10 years?

– If you were starting out in the field today, what do you wish you knew? What advice would you give?

This week, brainstorm on what you want to learn, then pare down your list to 6-10 key questions in order of priority.

Next week we’ll discuss how to schedule an information interview.

To your success,

Gwyneth Anne

408.246.7427

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Information Interviewing – What Career Do You Want To Consider? (Part 1/5)

Post Date: March 10th, 2015

Have you thought about changing careers, but not sure where to start? Learning more about different fields can be both interesting in helping you learn more about how organizations work as a whole, and a great way to expand your network.

This month we’ll approach ‘information interviewing’ from the standpoint of you having an interest in potentially pursing this new field, interviewing someone who’s in your field of interest to learn more about it and see whether it’s something you do or don’t want to continue to explore.

To begin the process, spend some time learning about the field. Read magazines, books, professional newsletters, articles in the newspaper, surf the internet and so forth. Having a baseline education of the field before you contact someone for their time, can help you to best leverage your time, connect with the person with whom you’re speaking and ask more informed questions.

Spend some time this week reading information that’s readily available. In addition, find 3 people with whom you can talk who are already in this chosen profession. If you don’t know anybody off hand, whose names are showing up in articles? Can you find websites with their contact information? Are these friends of friends? Are they in your social network (ie LinkedIn)?

Next week we’ll work on determining which questions you’d like to ask during the information interview.

To your success,

Gwyneth Anne

408.246.7427

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