Tag Archives: Informational Interviews

Much needed advice

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Though spring break was meant to be a relaxing and peaceful, I instead spent the whole week freaking out and having minor heart-attacks about post-grad plans. As a result, I aimed to write a couple of cover letters and a few emails to alumni/ae everyday. Though I was not as productive as I hoped to be (which usually happens) I was lucky enough to have an informational interview on the last day of break. Through one of my mum’s friends, I met up with a woman who works at a big cosmetic company and who also just moved to Hong Kong from New York City a couple of years ago. The meeting was filled with great advice and interesting stories, but in the end, she gave me a reality check with a lot of constructive recommendations. Here are some of her key points:

  1. “In an interview, you need to voice your passion.” Even if you don’t specifically know what you really want to do within the organization, proving that you love the industry and that you know a lot about it will impress your interviewers.
  2. “Really study the company that you are interviewing for.” She told me that before LinkedIn and Facebook existed, she would go to the reception of the company days before her actual interview and try to ask as many questions about the company.
  3. “Understand that internships are hard.” One of her horror stories: An intern at a fashion PR company, had to fly once a week for three months to Abu Dhabi to drop off clothing samples and fly back to New York the next day. She doesn’t know what happen to the intern in the end, but I really hope that they gave her a job afterwards.
  4. “Try and find your interviewer on the LinkedIn website.” Knowing where they have worked before can bring huge benefits. While chatting away during your interview, you might be able to bring up some connections, which may make you a more memorable candidate.
  5. “Work super hard and people will notice.” Many employers have worked from the bottom up, so they understand what it’s like to be an intern or newly employed. Most people will not hand you more responsibility or a job if you are lazy.
  6. “The more glamorous the company, the less the pay.” But if you love your job, then hopefully it won’t matter as much!

Playing in the Sandbox

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Recently, my high school celebrated its annual Writer’s Week, and I was more than a little jealous I couldn’t be there. As an aspiring writer, I savor the opportunities I had to engage in conversations with inspirations such as Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas and novelist Gail Tsukiyama. And except for one strange experience with an author who buried her cat beneath her study so that its bones would be under her while she was writing, each writer I’ve met has reaffirmed my passion for writing.

Fortunately, Scripps is far from lacking in opportunities to explore my passions, and this week was no exception. Earlier this month, three Scripps alumnae (Fantasy author Melanie Rawn ’75, Web Content writer Julia Cook ’05 and Children’s Book author Stacia Deutsch ’91) volunteered their time to speak to eager Scrippsies about their careers in writing.

Like every other time I’d met with an author, I left inspired, but this experience did what none before had: It reaffirmed not just my passion, but also my conviction that I could achieve my dreams. Beyond practical advice for navigating the publishing world and finding an agent, the writers also encouraged us to never limit ourselves. Rawn encouraged us to be like children in a sandbox, building up castles and gleefully ravaging them until we learn what types of shovels we need to create a world that works best for us.

These writers all used a variety of metaphorical shovels to reach their current state. Their degrees (English, yes, but also History and Religious Studies) and previous jobs helped them to build a satisfying writing career from them. Melanie Rawn, for example, used her historical expertise as a foundation to create intricate, believable alternative worlds. Each of those women had sat in my place between seven and thirty-seven years ago, and if they could achieve their dreams, my own certainly couldn’t be out of reach.

Furthermore, each writer wrote in drastically different forms. While Melanie Rawn wrote fantasy, Julia Cook wrote for the web. Stacia Deutsch had ghost written Nancy Drew and transformed movie scripts like The Black Night into novels, and even wrote the Simon & Schuster young adult romance novel below, part of the collection that had been my guilty pleasure throughout middle school.

With so many available avenues to explore writing, I left confident that I would find at least one that would lead me to my personalized version of success.

Admittedly, as Melanie Rawn reminded us, “there is no type of writing that is easy.” Luckily for me, there’s also no type of writing that’s off limits, and there’s no type of writing that I’m not willing to try.

Besides, I’m willing to work hard so that when I’m done playing in my sandbox, my sand castle will be the best in town.

Navigating the Awkwardness

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About a week ago, I got a surprise in my inbox. A woman in publishing who I had emailed a long time ago asking for an informational interview, after being recommended to contact her through an earlier blog post, actually responded, agreeing to answer any of my questions.

I do not mean to put her down for taking awhile to respond. In fact, I want to do the opposite; I want to thank her for taking the time to respond to a little undergraduate student, especially since the email had been sitting in her inbox for awhile. Most people, if not responding right away, would never respond.

Anyways, this woman gave wonderful advice about how to be successful in the publishing industry and I am truly grateful she took the time out of her schedule to connect with me.

However, this story is the exception. Awkwardly, the opposite usually occurs: after writing a respectful and curious email, explaining who I am, and why I’d like to learn more from this publisher, book critic, writer, etc. (and not just at random, but after being recommended to this person), and waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and…

No response.

Being from the Twin Cities and therefore abiding by the rules of “Minnesota nice,” I usually feel too intrusive and bothersome to send a second email. Some people just don’t have the time to answer questions—I get that.

Valinda from CP&R, however, recommended that in many situations, especially if I do care about connecting with that person, it doesn’t hurt to send that second email as long as it’s polite. Most people put off such emails, intending to reply but never getting around to it as their daily chores pile up, and would perhaps appreciate the reminder. It could even be more of a positive thing, since it would bring my name to their attention a second time and show my dedication.

Navigating the occasionally awkward waters of informational interviews—or even just simple emails, less formal-sounding—can be tricky at times. I think of all the advice I’ve gotten so far this semester from the handful of people I’ve had the privilege of talking to, and it does seem worth it. This woman in publishing, who I most recently have spoken to, was able to advise me to look into a specific summer class and specific places at which to intern that I hadn’t even thought of before.

Informational Interviews

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I’m not messing around with the title this week, because this is a serious post. I’m writing this blog because I want to help all my readers in their respective internship searches. I promise it’s not all as scary as it seems. Take informational interviews for example. You may be stressing: How do I find someone to talk to? What do I ask? What should I do with that information? What IS an informational interview?

Well, for those of you who don’t know, it’s “a meeting in which a job seeker asks for advice rather than employment.” (Thanks, Wikipedia!) They’re useful for finding out about a specific job, field, company, or individual. For example, if you know you want to get into health care but you’re not sure which direction you want to go, you might set up information interviews with people who work in fields: dermatology, surgeons, pediatrics, nursing, pharmaceuticals, etc.

So how do you get started? Let me tell you what I’ve been up to in the last week.

I mentioned that I contacted a number of alumnae through life connections. Within two days, three had got back to me. As if that was overwhelmingly awesome enough, I set up two informational interviews for the weekend and the third didn’t have time to talk on the phone but told me to e-mail her any questions I have and she would get back to me. In case I ever forget, this is why I love Scripps.

Before I go on, a quick plug: CP&R’s website has an amazing section called “networking” that talks a good deal about informational interviews including how to set one up, what to ask, etc. Please do check it out; it really helped me.

My first information interview was with a 2004 grad who also majored in International Relations. She worked on the Hill in DC until recently; she is now in New York but still working in politics. Although DC life was not for her, she had some good advice for me about finding a summer internship on the Hill and calmed my fears of not finding anything. She told me about some of the specific day-to-day tasks of her old job and what she liked better about her new one. We had different interests, so her Hill career sounded amazing to me.

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After a Semester in Washington DC

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I knew studying in Washington DC would be a fun experience. I knew I would meet new people, have numerous opportunities to hear important and influential people speak, and add some work experience to my resume. I never thought that the study abroad experience would change my career goals as much as they did.

When I left for Washington in August, I wasn’t entirely positive what I wanted to do in the future, but I had a fuzzy sort of idea. After graduation, I would get a steady job in a bank in California, maybe go to business school, and continue in banking or business. While I still have an interest in banking and definitely want to attend business school in the future, I now have a more concrete idea of where I want my life to lead me. I think I want to run for Congress someday.

It’s still a far-off daydream for now, but I think it’s a noble goal. I’m interested in working in business, but I have a lot of good ideas and want to make positive changes in California and the country. My focus on international relations will also probably help me, as I have a good sense of how other countries are run and what is positive or negative about their governments. The presidency is not for me, but I believe Congress will be a good way to make change.

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