Career Services, University of Pennsylvania

The best way to learn about a particular career field is to talk with someone already working in that field. Richard Nelson Bolles, author of the well known manual for job searching What Color is Your Parachute?, calls this type of conversation "informational interviewing" -- "trying on jobs to see if they fit you." An informational interview is an opportunity to gather in-depth information about career fields and positions that interest you, for instance: traits that fit well in a certain position, rewarding aspects of a particular job, opportunities for advancement, academic training requirements, a typical day in this field or position, hiring trends, etc. You can also use an informational interview to ask questions directly relevant to your own preferences and concerns. For example, "Could you provide feedback on my resume?" "Is my background a good match for this industry?" "How would you advise me to prepare myself for a career in this field?"

Informational interviewing is not a practice that is limited to business. Those investigating careers in government, the arts, journalism, nursing, academia, medicine, scientific research, social services, law, engineering, advocacy, teaching, etc. can benefit from conversations with professionals in their area(s) of interest. Students and alumni regularly report that informational interviews are an exceptionally useful component in their career development. Informational interviews will not only enrich your understanding of various career fields, but will also broaden your network of professional contacts.

Sample Informational Interview Questions

Questions to Help Prepare for a Career in this Field

What educational preparation do you believe would be best for working in this industry?
What skills, talents, and personal qualities are most essential in this job?
What kinds of experiences (paid employment or other) would you most strongly recommend?
What credentials, educational degrees, licenses, etc. are required for entry into this kind of work?
How rapidly is your present career field growing? What opportunities for advancement are there in this field?
What entry-level opportunities offer the most ability to learn a great deal? What is the typical salary for these positions?
How do people find out about jobs in this field? How are they advertised, or is word of mouth more important?
Which professional journals and organizations would help me learn more about this field?
How well suited is my background for this type of work?
With the information you have about my education, skills, and experience, what other fields would you suggest I research further before making a final decision?

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Questions about a Particular Organization / Company

What are the main job categories within this organization? What "types" of people tend to be in each?
Why did you decide to work for this organization and what do you like most and least about it?
How does your company differ from its competitors?
How does your organization distinguish itself from other organizations doing similar work?
In what ways does this employer provide ongoing training and education for its employees?
What is this organization's mission and philosophy?
What is the "corporate / organizational" culture here?
What do your hiring mangers look for on resumes and in cover letters? in interviews?

Advisor's Present Job

How did you choose this career field?
How do you spend your time during a typical workweek?
What do you find most rewarding about the work?
What are the toughest problems you must deal with?
If you were ever to leave this kind of work, what would drive you away from it?
Would you describe the organizational structure of your company?
What is the average length of time employees stay with your organization?
What type of formal or on-the-job training does your organization provide?
How does your organization compare/differ with its competitors?

Advisor's Career Future

Does your work become more interesting as you stay longer?
If things develop as you would like, what does the future hold for your career?
If the type of work you do was suddenly eliminated, what different kinds of work do you feel you could do?

Advisor's Prior Experience and Preparation

How did you prepare for this kind of work? What was your college major?

If you were a college student again, had it to do all over, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?

What has been your career path?

Lifestyle

How much flexibility do you have in terms of dress, hours, vacation schedule, place of residence, etc.?
Must you perform all your job responsibilities in your place of work?
What obligations does your work place upon you, outside of the ordinary workweek? Do you enjoy these obligations?

Hiring Decisions

If you were to hire someone to work with you today, which of the following factors would be most important in your hiring decision and why: Educational credentials? Past work experience? Personality or personal attributes? Specific skills and talents? Applicant's knowledge of your organization, department, or job? Others?

Referral to Others

Based on our conversation today, what other people do you believe I should talk to? Can you give me names of a few who might be willing to see me?
May I have permission to use your name when I contact them?