Informational interviews are networking gold when you’re pursuing a career change or searching for a new job. Don’t flub this golden opportunity by taking a casual networking approach when setting up those meetings.
Key takeaways:
- Spend more time thinking and less time firing off requests for coffee dates
- Ask smart questions
- Find mutual connections and keep them in the loop
- Preparation pays off
What to listen for:
- 00:56 Why what you’ve been told is wrong
- 02:56 How to prepare, even before you are introduced
- 04:58 How to utilize mutual connections
- 06:42 How to ask for an informational interview
- 08:07 Execute the meeting
- 09:06 What to do after the interview
Quotes:
“The reason for the all that prep work before you ask for a meeting is you can ask a better question and the more specific and precise you are, the more likely you are to get an answer.” [07:42]
“This additional follow up is the glue that makes a relationship sticky. That first meeting or conversation may have occurred simply as a favor to someone else, by following up you make the relationship yours.” [10:04]
