Submitting a hundred online job applications or being referred for a position by a contact in your company of interest - what’s the best way to go if you are on the job market? That's the rhetorical question that we are going to discuss today. Each person’s path to a successful job application is unique and it depends tremendously on being at the right palace at the right time, aka luck. However, in order to be able to take advantage of being at the right place at the right time, you will still need to put a lot of work into your application. In this post we are going to focus on one of the many techniques you can use to increase your chances at getting a job offer - informational interviews.
Informational interviews are popular, yet not popular enough. Quite a few candidates do not use them for a variety of reasons, including (i) not quite knowing how exactly to approach it, (ii) not feeling comfortable contacting other people and asking them for a favor, and (iii) simply not believing in their efficiency. However, you should take advantage of this technique because it may be one of the most useful tools in a job hunting adventure, and it’s free.
There are plenty of articles out there describing in detail how to draft a message asking someone for an informational interview, what questions to ask, and how to follow up on your conversation. We are not going to cover this technical information here but instead we are going to talk about the advantages an informational interview can provide.
First of all, the term itself is rather misleading. The word “interview” suggests that you are looking for a job and asking for a job. Which you are not! This is probably the most important piece of information to take away from this article. You are not asking the person that you are having a conversation with for a job. You are asking for information.
As for not feeling comfortable with asking people for a favor. It’s hard to argue with this one because it may indeed be difficult for you to send a message to someone who you’ve never met and ask them for their time and knowledge. What’s important to keep in mind though is that in this case you are politely asking them to share their experience with you. They have no obligations to help you, they are not forced to do anything, they can (and may) say no. But if they say yes, it means that they are genuinely willing to help you which already makes the following conversation a bit easier.
When you go through a real job interview, you will be asking complete strangers for much more than 30 minutes of their time. You will be asking your interviewers to believe in you, to make you a part of their organization for a considerable period of time, and finally to pay you. So it is important to practice first, asking for a bit of time is much easier than for a long term financial and professional commitment. The worst thing that can happen is they don’t respond or say no. It is also possible that your meeting would not end up being very useful and/or that you realize that, as it turns out, you are not interested in that company/industry after all. But that’s the whole purpose of these meetings, to learn what does and does not work for you.
It’s also important to understand the efficiency of informational interviews. When you apply for a position that you have found on LinkedIn, a job board etc, you are sending your application together with hundreds of other candidates. Generally speaking, you have exactly the same knowledge about the position as everyone else, so it's really important that your application has an edge. If you manage to set up an informational interview with a person working at your company of interest, you can ask for all types of highly valuable information that may give you that edge. What skills should you put on your CV and which ones are considered to be not important? Do they expect a one- or two-page CV? Remember, you want to make life for the HR person as simple as possible. How can you word your accomplishments to make it obvious to the hiring committee that you are a great candidate for this role? There are many ways to present your skills, accomplishments, and qualifications. Asking the right questions during an informational interview may help you find the best ways to do so.
To wrap things up, informational interviews are an effective, free tool that may help you get an insight about the company that you are interested in from the best possible source, from within the company. Remember, you are not asking for a job, you are asking for information. It may turn into a job down the line, but at this stage, treat it like a conversation, not an interview. And finally, it is a great practice to ask and answer professional questions related to your area of interest in a less stressful environment compared to a real job interview. So why not take advantage of it?
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