Should you ask for Informational Interviews?

A colleague on Linked recently posed a question to me on how to improve their response on requests for informational interviews.


My answer was to just ask them for a networking meeting and do not use the term “informational interview”. My experience in trying both paths is that the term “informational interview” has two perceptions/barriers that lower your chances of getting someone to agree to meet with you:

People do not like to say “No”: There is always an expectation of a job with anything called an interview. No matter how hard to tell yourself or the interviewer, there’s always the hope that the interviewer will end the meeting by pulling a job opening out of their desk drawer.

As an interviewer, you know there is no role and will likely need to say “We’re not hiring”, “You are an amazing candidate, but…” or “No” to the candidate who asks if there are any available positions. So why agree to meet with someone so you can disappoint them? It’s easier to just ignore the request.

Interview requires preparation: If there is no job, but you are doing an interview – it means like you have to act like there is one and be ready. If you think this person is important to meet, so do others. So why make them do work to meet with you.

A request to network has no implications or expectations. You simply state you are interested in the industry and want to get their insight. Be prepared with questions on how their firm operates and you will walk away with loads of insight. If a role does pop up, you’ve got an inside edge on how to tailor your resume and get ready.

With luck, you may get other connections in the firm – which is great as the more people you can tell your story, the higher your chances of getting connected to positions that come open. Ask any good sales person, they are always working multiple contacts at each firm.

My advice is to ask for a cup of coffee, not an informational interview.

For tips on how to ask for a meeting, see my post on “Sharing the Secret Sauce”.

Good luck today!

Mark Richards

www.candidateschair.com

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