True story. My first full-time job after graduating was good. However, I felt this tug to explore work more like what I had gotten really interested in while in school. A friend mentioned that a professor he had at the school we went to taught (part-time) on the subject I was interested in AND was a full-time employee at a company where he did what he taught.

I wrote him a letter (yes, a letter…this was before LinkedIn, but bear with me). I introduced myself, let him know I graduated from the university where he taught, and asked if he would tell me more about what he did for his full-time job. He invited me to the company, and I got a tour (from a different person actually) of the entire company. At the end of the tour, he dropped me at an engineering manager’s office. We chatted for a few minutes, and he asked if I wanted to apply for the open position they had.

I didn’t even know there was a position open!

I ended up getting hired there and started several weeks after.

Connections are key, but so is sincerity of intent

You may have heard it already. Many people get positions because of who they know. But I don’t think that means you actually have to know the hiring manager. In my case I did not know the hiring manager. I didn’t know the engineer who put me in touch with the company either…but we did have things in common. And, I really did want to learn more about the work this person was engaged in. I made a connection, made a sincere request for information only, and the result was I found a role that was a better fit than the one I had.

Asking for informational interviews

If you have a role in mind that you’d like to explore, the informational interview is a great way to get clarity. Mention to your friends you are looking to talk to someone who is doing the role you want to do. Or, search the connections of your connections on LinkedIn to see if any of them do what you want to do (or something adjacent to that type of work). Then ask for an introduction from your connection to their connection. That way you don’t have to cold-call people (yuck).       

Keep in mind:

  • Be respectful of your connection’s schedule. Don’t ask them to accommodate your schedule; try to fit into theirs
  • Be respectful of your connection’s time. Keep your conversation to 20 or 30 minutes. When you get to the 30 minute mark (or the agreed-upon time you’ve stated) and it seems the conversation is going well, ask if it’s ok to talk longer. Else, end the conversation by asking if you can contact them with more questions later.
  • Ask for information, not a job. If they get the feeling you would be a good fit for a role they have open, they will let you know.
  • Not every conversation is going to be 100% fruitful. There’s almost always a nugget you can take away, and often there is much, much more than that.
  • Send a thank you note, email, or message.

Summary

Making connections and sincerely asking for only information is a great way to learn more about a role or industry. People love to share what they know and lessons they’ve learned which makes the informational interview accessible.