How to ask for an informational interview

What is an informational interview?

An informational interview is a short conversation, usually 20 to 30 minutes, in which you ask someone about their job, their path into it and their advice. It is not a job interview: you are there to learn, and you never ask for a job in it.

• It helps you choose: what the work is really like, which titles to search for, which skills matter.
• It helps you sound informed in your applications and interviews.
• It starts a relationship that can lead to a referral later, when the other person offers one.

Who should you ask for an informational interview?

Start with people one or two steps ahead of you: graduates of your school, people a few years into the job you want, and people at companies on your list. A 2022 study in Science, run with more than 20 million LinkedIn members, found that moderately weak ties, such as people you share only a few connections with, did the most to help people move to new jobs.

• Alumni of your school or program: the school you share is your reason to write.
• People a few years into the role: they still remember what the first year was like.
• Friends of friends, a professor's former students, people you met at a career fair.
• Senior people say yes too, but expect slower answers.

How do you ask for an informational interview by message or email?

In three or four sentences: who you are, what you share, what you would like to learn, and a small, specific ask with an easy way out. On LinkedIn, send it once they accept your connection; by email, send it as your first message.

• Open with what you share: a school, a course, a club, an event.
• Say what you are curious about in their terms: their field, their team, their path.
• Ask for 20 minutes, by video or phone, in the next few weeks.
• Give an easy out: "If now is a busy time, no problem at all."
• Never attach your resume or ask for a job, a referral or an opening.

What should you ask in an informational interview?

Ask about their path, their work and their advice. Prepare four or five questions and know which two matter most, because 20 minutes goes fast.

• How did you get into this role?
• What did your first year look like?
• Which skills matter most day to day?
• What do you wish you had known when you started?
• What would you do in my place?
• Is there anyone else you think I should talk to?

How do you run the 20 minutes?

Be on time, keep to the time you asked for and let them talk. You lead with questions; they do most of the talking.

• Have a 20-second answer ready for "tell me about yourself".
• Note one or two things you will act on.
• Say when the time is up, and offer to stop there.
• Ask if you can keep them posted.

How do you follow up after an informational interview?

Send a thank-you within a day that names one thing they said, act on one piece of advice, and tell them later what you did with it. That last message is what keeps the door open.

• The thank-you: one specific thing they said, and what you will do with it.
• A few weeks later: a short update, such as a course you started or a role you applied for.
• If they introduced you to someone, tell them how it went.
• No reply to your first request? Send one polite reminder after about a week, then let it go.

Entry-level postings

Should you apply if you don't meet every requirement?

Apply when you meet the required items. On an entry-level posting, the preferred list describes the ideal hire, and employers rarely expect a graduate to have all of it. Cover every required item, show the preferred ones you have, and say how you would learn the rest.

What is the difference between required and preferred on a job posting?

Required items, often under "requirements", "must have" or "you have", are the ones an employer screens on: a degree in a field, a language, a work permit, sometimes a license. Preferred items, under "nice to have", "a plus" or "bonus", describe the ideal hire. An entry-level employer expects to teach many of them, especially tools, software and internal processes.

A junior posting asks for 1 to 2 years of experience. Should I still apply?

Usually, yes, if you meet the other required items. On an entry-level posting, a year or two of experience is often a wish rather than a filter, and internships, co-ops, part-time work and projects count toward it. When a junior title asks for five years or more, the title and the requirements disagree, and your time is usually better spent on another posting.

Can I ask in an informational interview which requirements really matter?

Yes, and it is one of the most useful questions you can ask: "Of the requirements in postings like yours, which ones does your team really screen on, and which do new hires learn on the job?" The answer tells you which preferred items to stop worrying about.

When you add a posting to the JobMentis job tracker during a first job search, it sorts the requirements into Required, Preferred and Often learned on the job, and shows a must-have that only asks for a year or two of experience as preferred, with a note that says why.