Interviewing

Informational Interviewing
Career Workshop
One of The Most Effective Forms of Networking
Presented by: <Facilitator’s name >
Workshop date: <Today’s date>
© University of Phoenix | all rights reserved 2

About this workshop
• What is informational
interviewing?
• The next 4 weeks:
your informational
interviewing plan.
Agenda
Lori Lee, BSB/A 1997

Introductions
• Your name
• Your employer
• What brought you here
Kevin McFall, MBA/TM 2002

What is informational interviewing?
Informational Interviews
are interviews that you
conduct with somebody
to learn about what it is
they do and the field that
they’re working in.
By show of hands, how
many of you have used
informational interviewing?

How can it benefit you?
One out of every
200
resumes results
in an interview.
One out of every
12
Informational interviews
results in an interview.

Reasons for informational interviewing
• Explore careers and clarify career goal
• Expand professional network
• Build confidence for job interviews
• Access current career information
• Identify your professional strengths and weaknesses

The next 4 weeks
Week 1
1
Do your
homework
Week 2
2
Build your
network
Week 3
3
Conduct
interviews
Week 4
4
Follow
up

Research companies and determine
which ones meet your wants and needs.
Identify contacts that may be able to give
you a referral to people within those
companies.
Do your
homework
1
The next 4 weeks
Week 1

Identifying your goals
1. Identify an occupation you want to pursue
2. Identify your needs, wants and wishes in an employer.
Turn to page 3 in your Workshop Participant Guide, charts 1.1 and 1.2.

Identifying your goals
3. Identify your ‘Top 10’ employers.
4. Identify contacts that maybe able to give you a referral.
After you leave, complete charts 1.3 and 1.4

LinkedIn or miss out
• Be sure your profile is complete and current.
• Start with people you know, then get referrals
to build your network.
• Personalize connection requests.
• Behold the power of LinkedIn groups!
• Research people and companies.

LinkedIn or miss out
Complete profile =
times more likely to
receive opportunities
through LinkedIn.
40x

Ask contacts for referrals to people within
those companies that you can talk to.
Begin making contact and scheduling
informational interviews.
The next 4 weeks
Week 2
2
Build your
network

Ask for a referral
• Set the stage
• Value their time
• Set expectations
• Trigger a reaction
Turn to page 6 in your Workshop
Participant Guide, chart 2.1.
Bettina Deynes, BSB/M 2004

Ask for a referral
“Hi ________, it’s Laurie. How have
you been?.....I’d like to talk to you
about possible getting a referral.”
• Set the stage

Ask for a referral
“Is this a good time to speak with
you? If not, we can reschedule for
a better time.”
• Set the stage

Ask for a referral
“I am looking for an opportunity
to work as a ________ with a
publicly-traded financial services
company headquartered in the
Phoenix area.”
• Set the stage

Ask for a referral
“When we worked together, you
were always a great resource. I was
hoping you could give me the name
of someone at XYZ company who
I could talk with to learn more about
the industry and the company.
Can you help me with this?”
• Set the stage

Ask for an interview via email or letter
• Who referred you?
• Who are you?
• Your interest in this field?
• What do you want?
• How will you follow up?
Sean Blankenship, MBA 2005

• Who are you?
“Samantha Raymond, who I met at a
recent NIJ Conference, suggested
that I contact you about my interest
in the field of criminal justice.”

• Who are you?
“I am a recent graduate of University
of Phoenix, and my area of
concentration is criminal justice—
more specifically, forensic science.”

• Who are you?
“Forensic science has been of
interest to me since I took a course
in that subject as an undergraduate.
Your firm has an outstanding
reputation in that field of practice.”

• Who are you?
“I would appreciate the opportunity
to meet with you briefly and discuss
the practice of your specialty. I am
especially interested in your views
on using advanced forensic DNA
analysis to develop a national profile
database. Any further insights you
have would be greatly appreciated.”

• Who are you?
“I will contact your office the week of
October 2 to set up a mutually
convenient time for this informational
meeting.”
Sincerely,
John Hancock

Don’t forget to:
• Don’t forget to proofread before you send.
• Follow up as promised.

Ask for an interview via phone
• Who you are and who
referred you.
• Your interest in the field.
• What you want.
Explain these things when
you call:
Terri Pomfret, DM 2008

Let’s role play a call now
Volunteers?

Making contact in person
Are these individuals dressed
appropriately to meet with a
potential employer?
Why or why not?

Making contact in person
• Be confident.
• Respect their time.
• The administrator (a.k.a.
the gatekeeper) can be a
valuable resource.
Here are some tips:
Corey Smith, MBA 2007

Have conversations and conduct
interviews within your ‘Top 10’ companies.
The next 4 weeks
Week 3
3
Conduct
interviews

Preparation is key
Q.What percentage of people
do their due diligence
before reaching out to
prospective companies?
A. 10%
Q.Where can you find
information on a person or
company?
A. Internet searches, company
websites, LinkedIn, annual
reports, referrals, competitors,
University of Phoenix online
library, Alumni website
(alumni.phoenix.edu)

Preparation is key
Q.“Dead in the water” means? A. I was trying to wing it and
was stopped cold when I
asked “What do you know
about our company?”

Before your interview
• Research the company.
• Prepare a list of questions.
• Call to confirm your appt.
• Know where you’re going.
• Gather the items you’ll
need for the interview
(pen, paper, and copies of
your resume)

Interview questions
What are some
questions you might ask
in an interview? • Your Interviewee’s field and job.
• Preparing for this career.
• Your interviewee’s career path/
opportunities for advancement.
• The company’s culture and
needs.
• Other sources of
information/referrals.
Ask questions in the following
categories:
Refer to page 8 in our Workshop
Participant Guide for a list of sample
questions.

During your interview
• Be punctual.
• Dress appropriately.
• Introduce yourself and
thank the interviewee.
• Refer to your prepared list
of questions.
• Listen and take notes.
Laraine Salvidar Gillespie, BSBM 2005

During your interview
• Ask follow up questions.
• Share something about
yourself.
• Consider asking for
feedback on your resume.
• Do NOT ask for a job.
• Ask for other referrals.
Thomas Castleberry, MBA 2010

Practice your informational interview
Let’s practice. Pair up with
another participant. Take
5 minutes for each of the
following activities:
1. Get acquainted, find out what
career your partner is in, and
decide what questions you’ll ask.
2. Pick a role and let the role play
begin. Interviewer critique your
partner.
3. Switch roles, and continue the role
play, Interviewer critique your
partner.

Practice your informational interview
For your critique: • What did your interviewer
do well?
• What is one thing that you
think he or she could
improve on?

Stay in contact, follow up, and keep
getting referrals.
The next 4 weeks
Week 4
4
Follow
up

After your interview
• Organize your notes.
• Evaluate the interview
and ask:
1. What did I learn?
2. How does what I learned fit with
my own interests, abilities, goals,
values?
3. What do I still need to know?
4. What plan of action can I make?

Send a thank you note
• Say thank you.
• Quote their advice.
• Acknowledge any offers.
• Keep them informed.
• Give your contact info.
Kelly O’Horo, MSC/CC 2010

Don’t forget to:
• Don’t forget to proofread before you send.
• Keep them informed as promised.

Review
Week 1
1
Do your
homework
Week 2
2
Build your
network
Week 3
3
Conduct
interviews
Week 4
4
Follow
up

Now it’s up to you
• Initiative
• Confidence
• Motivation
Be a catalyst!
What will you do when you
leave this workshop to start
implementing your 4-week
informational interview plan? Gina Gehm, MAOM 2005

Thank you
< campus name >
< campus phone number >
< campus email >
Find us on Facebook:
Join University of Phoenix Alumni Association LinkedIn group:
http://www.facebook.com/uopxalumni
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=78898

Interviewing

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