Informational interviews defined

- Informational interviews go by many names, including, quite simply, coffee chats. They're an opportunity to informally gather information about a job that you're interested in, an industry that you're interested in, or one of your target companies. Informational interviews are appropriate for everyone, all industries and all titles. In fact, I recently had a client who was a VP of a bank in New York, and he had been unemployed for about six months and was really struggling to find a job through the job boards. He committed to an informational interview strategy, and through networking, he found out about an opportunity before it got posted. He learned about a role two months before the company posted the position, so he was able to get his application ready, write a targeted resume, and prepare for the interview. The best informational interviews are conversational. You're not there to impress them and read off your resume. I mean, let's face it. Nobody wants to sit across from someone over coffee and hear how great the other person is. If you want to get great advice about your career and want to learn about opportunities before they get posted, approach the other person very authentically. Seem genuinely interested in what they're doing, what they're about. When you are interested in someone else, they're more likely and more willing to trust you, and they're also more likely to want to help you and help you achieve your goals, and good conversation doesn't happen by accident. Good conversation is a result of a lot of preparation. Looking at what is the other person interested in, what are some commonalities that you have between you and the person that you're interviewing with, and what do you hope to learn from that person? Here's the thing, and I want you to listen carefully. There's one unwritten rule, and that is do not ask for the job. You can't fake it. People can sense when you're being insincere. Show genuine interest in the work that they're doing, where the company's headed, and what the other person cares about and is passionate about. It leads to a more authentic and genuine connection. You can give yourself an invisible gold star for meeting success if you're able to, one, find out about the position that isn't posted online but will be available in the future. Two, grab a referral to someone else you should be talking to. Three, discover some language you should be using in the interviews that make you a stronger candidate. Four, discover new career options that match your skills and interests. Five, meet someone who believes in you, who will advocate for you when they learn about opportunities and will send you emails to check in and who will make introductions.