Tag Archives: informational interview

The Informational Interview

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I’ll be the first to admit it: I’m shy. I usually wait to raise my hand in class until I know everyone else has spoken at least once, I cower at the sight of a group presentation on any syllabus, and I’d rather write a twenty page research paper than have an oral final. As much as I know that professors are always happy to help when I have questions, I shirk office hours unless absolutely necessary (but I promise I’m working on this).

So, if there’s a phrase more terrifying to me than ‘group project,’ it’s ‘networking’.

ms-yz7zk7This summer, I interned with an environmental law firm in DC, and developed a warm relationship with my boss, Amanda. I was confident and comfortable discussing projects in her presence, but as soon as the conversation moved to the conference room with the other staff attorneys, I froze up. At the handful of different forums and conferences I attended where there were a plethora of accomplished people in the realm of environmental issues at my fingertips, I shrank back to the corners of the room and tried to make myself invisible.

I could convince you (and often try to convince myself) that my hesitation is due to a lack of experience in the field, and the fact that I look more like a freshman in high school than a working professional. Those definitely are part of my timidness. But the truth is, I’m mostly terrified of actually approaching someone I have never met before.

Usually, I just end up having an anxious conversation with the voice in my head instead of with a real person: “Isn’t it weird to walk up to someone? What do I say? Should I ask them a question? What would I even ask? Maybe I could small talk? Won’t they just think I’m wasting their time?”

So after a summer of failed attempts, networking was at the top of my avoid-at-all-costs list. At least, that’s what I thought, until my mom told me I should consider going for an ‘informational interview’ with a few of the organizations I had applied to intern with over the summer, with two of her colleagues, and with the mom of one of my brother’s baseball teammates who works at NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association).  

Despite relentless reminders of the great opportunity this would be for me to explore, hear others’ experiences, and garner an understanding for industries I may be interested in, I vehemently discredited the idea.

Why would anyone want take the time to sit down with a random college student they don’t know and who doesn’t know much about what she wants herself? Aren’t interviews supposed to be about actually getting a job, and not just talking about them?

After thinking about it for a while, (and of course, talking to my mom) it eventually set in that in the long run, it is worth it to get over my initial fear of approaching someone new for the opportunity to hear about and learn from others’ experiences. The introvert in me is still furiously dragging her feet, but I can’t sit in the corner of the conference room forever.

I am drafting an email now to get in touch with the woman who has worked with communications and environmental policy issues at NOAA, and just happened to be an English major – all avenues that I am looking into at the moment! I also registered to attend CP&R’s Speed Networking Workshop during Life After Scripps, so I will have faced the two things tied for number one on my avoid-at-all costs list.

Wish me luck – and keep your fingers crossed that I won’t chicken out at the last minute. I will let you know how it goes!

5 Steps to Starting and Maintaining Professional Relationships

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Here are my top 5 steps to beginning and maintaining professional relationships:

  • An important first step is to think about the network of connections that you already have and may have made in the past. You will be surprised as to how many people that you know are valuable connections and can provide you with a wealth of knowledge and experience. This can be parents, relatives, friends, old colleagues and schoolmates, and even old teachers. Try to reach out to any connections that you have made who may work in a company that you are interested in and rekindle that relationship. Start by sending out a friendly email asking them about how they are doing or mentioning any memory that you have together. You can also talk about important milestones in your work life so that they can remember you on a personal level and you can start a professional conversation.3835
  • As a next step, you can expand your network by using Life Connections to reach out to Scripps alumni. (Life Connections is a volunteer database that offers Scripps College students the opportunity to network with over 1,600 alumnae and friends all over the world. These volunteers have agreed to provide invaluable information about their careers, graduate studies, fellowship experiences, relocation, and job search tips within their areas of expertise.
    • These are the steps to get to life connections:
      • Log into your Scripps Portal
      • Click on the Student tab
      • On the left side of the page, there is a column where you can click on Life Connection
      • You can navigate the database by finding alumni by career, major, employer, or other fields
      • Once you get their contact information from Life Connections, send them emails asking about their jobs or about their Scripps experience. You can also use them to conduct informational interviews (mentioned in a later step)

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  • If you want to network with people in a more personal setting with more face time, then it is important to attend networking events in your area. Go to networking events such as Women in Tech or Undergraduate Summits or conferences that you can find out about through Career Planning and Resources emails. You can also Google different websites to find networking events in your area and your field of study.

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  • Once you start meeting people and creating a network, be sure to add them on LinkedIn to keep these connections for the future. Make sure to send a customized message to every single person you add so they remember you distinctly and can associate you with that message in the future when you reach out to them. You can also interact with articles they share on LinkedIn to show your interest and keep yourself on their radar. If you haven’t already seen it, be sure to check out the Find Alumni search under the “My Network” menu where you can search for Scripps Alumnae by location, company, what they studied and more.

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  • Finally, be sure to conduct informational interviews with anyone that you find interesting in your network. Informational interviews are meetings in which a potential job seeker seeks advice on their career, the industry, and the culture of a potential future workplace, while an employed professional learns about the job seeker. These are helpful in finding out more about industries that you may be interested in while also showing your interest to the employer. These interviews do not need to be stressful and can purely be used to find out more information, but make sure to be prepared with questions and a little background knowledge of the company so that you can make a good first impression.

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Overall it is important to:

  1. Reach out to your old network of connections
  2. Make new contacts through Life Connections and the LinkedIn Find Alumni tool.
  3. Go to networking events for face to face time
  4. Add people on LinkedIn
  5. Conduct informational interviews with people whose work interests you

Combatting Networking Dread

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I know I’m not the only one who hates this lovely little reminder in CP&R’s Career Services Guide, but I also know it wouldn’t be in here if it weren’t correct. So I guess we have to talk about it…1. Ew, why?
Just thinking about networking makes me tired (#IntrovertLife) so my first tip is to check out Daysha’s fabulous tips on networking for introverts because I have no idea what I’d do without this advice.

2. No really, why?!
Why are you putting yourself through this? Because it makes a difference. Not connecting with the Scripps Alum working at your dream company could mean the difference between getting the job and not getting the job. I know that sounds harsh, but it can be true. When you know someone there, that makes you more than an application, more than a face-less piece of paper. It makes you a real person with personality, insight, and witty conversational skills. (Though I only get that last one if they catch me on a good day…)

3. How?
Yeah, this part is awkward. Reaching out to random strangers, or even worse, reaching out to people to reach out to random strangers for you, is awkward. But I try to remind myself that it’s worth it and that people want to help me. No one got where they are alone. Everyone has mentors and connections that helped them get a foot in the door, and that’s really all you need. From there, you’ll wow them all by yourself. So don’t be afraid to send that email to a Scripps alum or request an introduction on LinkedIn. You could end up with an amazing opportunity, and you don’t know until you try!

4. What do I say?
Ask for an informational interview! Or more specifically, ask for a chance to talk to them about their experience in *insert field, or position, or company here*. Then, when it comes time to have the conversation, bring in questions and brainstorm topics in order to avoid the deer-in-headlights look.

5. When do I do this?
Now. Like at this very moment. Drop everything.
…
Not actually. Networking can happen anywhere, any time. Yes, it’s best to network before you apply for a position because then you can mention that person in your cover letter to let the recruiter know about the connection, but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t. Informational interviews give you a chance to get the feel for the company and get a lot of your questions answered.

The hardest thing for me to remember when I’m networking is that I don’t have to do this alone. I’m very independent and I hate the idea of relying on someone else, especially with something as important as my career. But I try to take a step back and remind myself that most people don’t do this entirely on their own; and I know when I’m settled into my career, I’ll definitely want Scrippsies to reach out to me for help and guidance! So if you’re deciding whether or not to send the awkward email or not send the awkward email, send it. It’s time to take Lorelai’s advice (which we should always do anyway) and face the things we don’t like, because some day it could lead to making this phone call: