Fundamentally, an informational interview is an information gathering session. The goal is simple: discover what someone does. Here’s how:
- Say “Howdy!”
Whether you’re pursuing a job as a lawyer or investment banking, you should get a first-hand account of what the position entails. Once you find a connection in your
desired field—through family, friends, school, or work—it’s time to make contact. Shoot them an email mentioning the mutual connection, and request a brief, 20 to 30-minute informational interview.
- Location, Location, Location
You can really benefit from interviewing someone in his or her natural environment—for instance, speaking with a lawyer in their legal office. But at the end of the day, the location is up to the individual you’re interviewing, says Carr. “As the person requesting the interview, you should allow them to decide where they will be comfortable.”If your meeting is over lunch or a cup of coffee, offer to pay as a token of appreciation.
- What to Ask
You should prepare a whole slew of questions that are specific in order to show interest, here interview questions to ask during a legal job interview:
- How did you become interested in X practice area/subject matter?
- Why did you choose this firm/organization over others?
- What do you like most about this firm/practice group/organization?
- Tell me about the firm/practice group/organization culture.
- What Not to Ask
This is not—repeat, not—a job interview, so don’t ask for a job. Your interviewee is already doing you a favor by speaking with you, so unless they offer you further connections, legal position openings at their firm, or to pass along your resume, don’t ask for them.
- Follow Up
a thank you note, either via email or the old fashioned way, through the mail. Besides thanking them for their time, try to recall a personal tidbit from your discussion to personalize the message.
