{"id":11995,"date":"2021-10-27T09:43:54","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T13:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/?p=11995"},"modified":"2025-04-04T04:18:03","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T08:18:03","slug":"informational-interview-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/informational-interview-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Informational Interview Questions: Examples &amp; What to Avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"11995\" class=\"elementor elementor-11995\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-270f08c4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"270f08c4\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1d4c0dce\" data-id=\"1d4c0dce\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6534281 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6534281\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>What if you lost your job today and needed a new job in a week? Could you do it?<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>What if you just wanted some advice for a tough career decision? Is there someone you could ask?<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Or what if you wanted to make a big career change, like switching industries? Is there anyone you could call for help?<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>The secret to solving all of these challenges is the same: informational interviews.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:image {\"align\":\"center\",\"id\":11996,\"width\":631,\"height\":428} --><\/p>\n<figure><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/interviewchairs.jpg\" alt=\"Informational interview questions that create a lasting impression | iwillteachyoutoberich.com\" width=\"631\" height=\"428\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-74f2aaba elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"74f2aaba\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:image --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:heading --><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\">Informational interviews: What they are and how they work<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\">Youve likely heard employment buzzwords like networking or mentoring being thrown around, but have you ever heard of the term informational interview? Informational interviews can be the difference between a thriving career and a career stalemate, but not everyone is familiar with how these types of interviews work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>At a high-level, heres how an informational interview works:<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list {\"ordered\":true} --><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>You find someone doing the job youre interested in<\/li>\n<li>Invite them out to coffee or ask them to chat over the phone<\/li>\n<li>Ask key questions about the job and gather insider information<\/li>\n<li>Then, use what you learned to make an informed decision about your career<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\">Simple, right? It is as long as you understand the rules:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list --><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\"><strong>It&#8217;s not about a job.<\/strong> Youre not actively trying to land a new position with an informational interview.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\"><strong>You&#8217;re there to learn.<\/strong> The purpose of this type of interview is to learn about what the other person does, how they do it, and what they like or dislike about their job.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\"><strong>You listen and they talk.<\/strong> The other person does the talking, but you steer the conversation with insightful questions that matter to both of you.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\">That said, informational interviews can most certainly lead to more job opportunities in the future, but only if you conduct them in the right way by asking the right questions to the right people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Let us show you how to master this powerful job search tool.<\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:heading --><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\">How to ask for an informational interview (and who to ask!)<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\">One of the biggest hurdles to getting an informational interview is knowing how to ask for one and who to ask. An informational interview is only useful if you target someone whose role you could see yourself in, whose field you may be interested in, or whose team you may want to be hired onto in the future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\">Otherwise, its just going to end up being coffee and a Q&amp;A with no real purpose. While thats nice, its not exactly the goal of the exercise.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\">Before you send out any invites, though, be sure you know who exactly you need to interview. Here are a few tips to help narrow it down:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list --><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\"><strong>Know the right <em>type<\/em> of person to ask.<\/strong> This could be people who are already in your network of contacts in a particular field, company, or job that interests you. Or, it could be someone you cold call (or cold email, rather) with the request.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\">Dont have someone in mind? Look through your <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/how-to-build-network\/\/\">networking contacts<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\"> on sites like LinkedIn or any other social media outlet.These sites can be gold mines when it comes to building work contacts. You may even have a connection with someone in your ideal role or field already.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\"><strong>Can&#8217;t find the right person in your connections? Dont let that stop you.<\/strong> A connection in a similar field may be able to help identify the right person to contact for a coffee chat email. It doesnt hurt to reach out.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\"><strong>Or, just search and identify a few people you may want to ask for an exploratory interview.<\/strong> You can use a social networking platform or a simple Google search to do this. Youd be surprised how many people are willing to take a quick call or coffee break to chat about their jobs with you.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\">Once youve identified the person or persons you want to ask, all you have to do is reach out to the person you want to meet with by sending a friendly but concise email asking for a meeting.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\">Youre free to word these requests as you see fit, but the wording of the email could be as simple as:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\">&#8220;Hi, Brad! My name is Ann, and Kelly Smith suggested I speak with you because I am interested in learning more about your field or role. If youre open to it, I would love to get some advice from you on this role or field. <br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\">Would you have time in the next two weeks to meet for coffee so that I can learn more about your company and the role or field?&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\">If you arent sure what to say, there are even\u00a0<\/span><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/natural-networking\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;\">word-for-word email scripts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\">\u00a0that can help. The hard work is basically done for you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\">You may strike out a few times, and thats OK. Just keep reaching out to the right people, and eventually, youll find success. <br \/><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8d75dfe elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default qodef-elementor-content-no\" data-id=\"8d75dfe\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7a42271\" data-id=\"7a42271\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-52dd347 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"52dd347\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-xl\">The world wants you to be vanilla...\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7cb13a9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7cb13a9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\u2026but you don\u2019t have to take the same path as everyone else. How would it look if you designed a Rich Life on your own terms? Take our quiz and find out: <!-- notionvc: dcf3efa4-6c1c-4ae2-aef2-14e5ba094565 --><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7138182 elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"7138182\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/rich-life-quiz\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Take the Quiz<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1a8a27d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1a8a27d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to ask the right informational interview questions<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Once youve landed a yes for an informational interview, you need to take time to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/how-to-prepare-for-an-interview\/\">prepare for the interview<\/a>, which starts with compiling a list of the right questions to ask. This step is crucial if you want to learn more about a role or company.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Its important to start the process of an informational interview with just one goal in mind: learning more about what the other person does and how they feel about it. These tips can help you ask the right types of questions:<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list --><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Leave out any questions that you could learn the answers to by a quick Google search.<\/strong> The internet is a well of information on things like company benefits, salary information, career trajectories, and other hard and fast facts, so leave those out of the equation.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ask the types of questions that require a personal answer.\u00a0<\/strong>Inquire the person about the career path was that they took to get to their current position, or ask about what special certifications or education they pursued that may have set them apart.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Make sure your questions are open-ended.<\/strong> Try not to ask yes or no questions, even on follow-ups. Doing so will quickly put a damper on the conversation.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tailor your questions to focus on their experiences in the industry or role.<\/strong>\u00a0The goal is to get them to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/tell-me-about-yourself\/\">tell you about themselves<\/a>\u00a0and their path to the role that you&#8217;re eying.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>These types of open-ended, well-phrased questions make the person youre interviewing feel comfortable with you. They&#8217;re\u00a0also a sign that you have respect for the other persons experience and expertise, which is important if you want to also build a networking relationship.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Here are a few examples you can use to help you craft your own questions:<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><u>Example 1:<\/u><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list --><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Good question:<\/span>\u00a0I noticed on your LinkedIn that your job in this industry focuses around &lt;insert a special niche or project&gt;. That seems like a unique opportunity to be given in this field. How did you find an opening to pursue &lt;the special project or niche&gt;? It sounds like something Id also like to pursue in the future.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Not-so-good question<\/span>: You work in a &lt;insert special niche or field at company&gt; that Id like to be in. Can you help me get a job at your company?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><u>Example 2:<\/u><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list --><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Good question:<\/span>\u00a0What steps did you take to work up to your current earning potential? Do you have any tips for those of us who are just starting out in the field?<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Not-so-good question:<\/span>\u00a0How much money do you make?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><u>Example 3:<\/u><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list --><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Good question:<\/span>\u00a0What are some of the more difficult challenges or hurdles you face in this role?<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Not-so-good question:<\/span>\u00a0What do you hate about this job?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Notice the subtle differences? The good questions are open-ended and inquisitive. The not-so-good questions are pointed, closed questions that are going to make the person youre interviewing very uncomfortable and put your interview at risk of going downhill.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:heading --><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The big mistakes to avoid during informational interviews\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Knowing who to ask for help and what to ask are just two small pieces of the informational interview puzzle. There is an art to pulling off a successful informational interview, and it involves a lot more donts than dos.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>If you want to successfully navigate the art of informational interviews, you should make every effort to avoid the big (and surprisingly common) mistakes. These include:<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} --><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Arriving late or way too early<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>If youre pursuing work- or career-related tips from your interviewee, chances are that theyre a busy professional with lots on their plate. What that means is that you should make every effort to avoid taking the other person&#8217;s time for granted.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Dont be late for your meeting thats an obvious one but avoid being early, too, especially if youre meeting at their place of employment. Don&#8217;t arrive more than five minutes early or you could put them in a precarious position (or embarrass yourself by barging in on a meeting you werent invited to).<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} --><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Asking for a job<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>While you may want a job from this person. In fact, what they do may even be your\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/starting-new-job\/\">dream job<\/a>, but you need to avoid asking for a job opportunity at all costs.<\/p>\n<p>If you crafted your initial email the right way, youve already made it clear that you aren&#8217;t asking for anything other than the persons time and insight. So, dont flip the script on them when you meet in person.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>If you conduct yourself professionally and make a good impression, a job offer may organically grow from your interactions.<\/p>\n<p>But you\u00a0are not there for a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/ace-job-interview\/\">job interview<\/a>, so dont expect a job to grow out of your interactions. If it does? Great. If it doesn&#8217;t, youve still gained a lot of value from their time and insight.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} --><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Dominating the conversation<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>If youre nervous, or if there are awkward pauses, you may feel tempted to try and fill the silence with nonstop chatter. Or, you may feel the need to offer commentary after every question is answered. Dont do that. Ask and actively listen instead.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Remember that the goal of this informational interview is to learn what you can from another professional who works in a job or at a company youd like to pursue.<\/p>\n<p>You should be spending about 90% of your time during this interview on the listening end not the talking end. If youre finding yourself talking more than listening, youre headed down the wrong path.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} --><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Asking for introductions<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>You may have targeted your interviewee because they have great connections in the industry you want to be in. They may know the CEO of a certain company or have a friend or acquaintance who works in recruiting for a major firm. Thats all fine and good, but dont allude to the fact that youre looking for introductions to these key people.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Keep the talk about the interviewee not about who they know. And whatever you do, avoid asking for introductions to anyone on their connections list, in their current company, at their former company, or in their inner circle.\u00a0You asked to meet with them to discuss their experience and role not to meet another party who may benefit you more.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} --><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5. Skipping the thank you<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>One of the biggest mistakes people make is skipping the formal thank you after the informational interview. Remember that the person who met with you took time out of their busy schedule to try and help you. A sacrifice like that requires proper thanks.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Send a card, an email, or some other form of written communication to thank them for the time they spent on you. Show them that youre grateful for their help and advice, and do so quickly after you meet.<\/p>\n<p>This\u00a0showcases your professionalism, and leaves them with the best impression of you possible which can come in handy should future opportunities arise that you may be a fit for.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:shortcode --><br \/><span style=\"font-family: 'PP Mori', 'PP Mori'; font-size: 40px; letter-spacing: 0px;\">One final informational interview tip<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>While its important to have the right questions in mind and avoid the big mistakes when conducting an informational interview, you should also try not to overthink it.<\/p>\n<p>The goal of this process is for you to learn and grow while networking not conduct every word, mannerism, and interaction by the book. Thats way too much pressure for one person to handle.<\/p>\n<p>But if you relax, engage, and most importantly, listen, youre much more likely to come out of the process with the information that you need and a new networking contact on your side.<\/p>\n<p>If youre too busy focusing on what to ask next or how to phrase the questions the right way, though, youll run the risk of missing vital information or advice and thats the opposite of what you want to achieve.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f0a5924 elementor-widget elementor-widget-qi_addons_for_elementor_blockquote\" data-id=\"f0a5924\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"qi_addons_for_elementor_blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"qodef-shortcode qodef-m qodef-qi-blockquote qodef-layout--top qodef--\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"qodef-m-text\">\n\t\t\tIf you liked this post, you\u2019d LOVE our Ultimate Guide to Getting A Raise\n\t\t<\/h4>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ba11e7d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ba11e7d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>It\u2019s one of the best things we&#8217;ve published, and totally free \u2013 just tell us where to send it:<!-- notionvc: e7072c4f-f433-4e60-b666-70a5e7d8231f --><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-586618f elementor-widget elementor-widget-qi_addons_for_elementor_wp_forms\" data-id=\"586618f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"qi_addons_for_elementor_wp_forms.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"qodef-shortcode qodef-m 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Could you do it? What if you just wanted some advice for a tough career decision? Is there someone you could ask? Or what if you wanted to make a big career change, like switching industries? Is there anyone you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":93033,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[221],"class_list":["post-11995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11995","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11995"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11995\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}