Tips for Having Your Young Adult Ace the Informational Interview
by Hallie Crawford, MA, CPCC
If your college graduate has entered the working world – and realized it’s not exactly what they had anticipated – they’d be wise to go ahead and set up informational interviews that may lead to other opportunities.
Offer your young adult these words of advice during their career transition to help them ace the informational interview:
Be precise
- Have your son or daughter clearly outline for the contact what they want and how long they will take. Thirty minutes is a good standard for the informational interview – and encourage them to stick to that time limit!
- They should explain succinctly what it is they are seeking. Encourage them to be direct with a pointed introductory statement, such as ‘I want to know if someone with my skills, interests and personality can succeed in this line of work.’
Be prepared
- Explain to your son or daughter that they should give a brief synopsis of their own background and interests before launching into the line of questioning.
- This is a critical window of opportunity for your child. Encourage your child to be ready for the informational interview by drafting out a list of specific questions.
- Go over which questions may be appropriate for their informational interviews with your young adult. Some solid suggestions for the interviewee include:
- What is a typical day on the job?
- What do you like best and least about your role?
- What qualifications and experience does someone need to have in order to get a job in this field?
- What is an entry level position in this field?
- What are best places to look for jobs in this field?
- How did you get started?
- Do you know anyone else who it would be beneficial for me to talk to?
Be considerate of the location
- Have your child be flexible in conducting the interview. They should take the cue from the interviewee and be ready to meet in person or complete the interview by phone, if necessary. Phone interviews are often more desirable as they tend to be less formal and require less preparation by the interviewer, and are also financially beneficial, since it saves on gas money.
- However, if the contact feels it would be best to meet one-on-one, your child should be willing to meet that requirement, as well. In addition, there is a real benefit to being seen as well as heard, as visual impressions can go a long way!
Use good business etiquette
- Encourage your child to get the mailing address of the person they interviewed so they may send a heart-felt thank you note.
- In fact, encourage your son or daughter to thank everyone in their path who may have helped land the informational interview.
- Email correspondence is not acceptable in this instance. Have your adult child put pen to paper and thank the contact appropriately with a hand-written note. After all, having a note that the contact can hold and possibly file, makes a more lasting impression and helps your child to be remembered – one of the ultimate goals in the informational interview process.
Copyright 2008 Hallie Crawford. All rights reserved.
About the Author:
Help your college grad get on the right track!
Certified Career Coach Hallie Crawford specializes in helping recent college grads and boomerangs identify their ideal career path and make it happen. To schedule a and find out more about Hallie visit http://www.halliecrawford.com or contact her at 877-298-6444.
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