What to Ask During an Informational Interview

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Published: July 17, 2024 by Aryn Prestia 

As we mentioned in a previous post, an Informational Interview is the perfect opportunity to get an understanding of the nuances of different library-related positions. 

While it may take some time to identify the right interviewee and schedule your meeting, planning for what to do during the actual interview is essential for ensuring its success.

Preparation

The most important aspect of the interview actually occurs before you even meet up with your interviewee. You must do your homework so that you are not wasting your time or that of your interviewee. Take a look at their Linkedin Profile or company website  to learn more about their background and current organization. Use this information to help you prepare your questions. 

What do you want to learn more about? Career progression? Skills used? Day-to-day responsibilities? 

Having the background information will allow you to start questions with statements like “One of the things I found in my reading about XYZ, Inc. was…” which signals to your interviewee that you’ve invested time in preparing for the discussion – a clear sign of respect and professionalism.

What should you ask?

It’s important to be focused and thoughtful during your interview. Thinking of your questions in advance opens up the mental space to provide thoughtful follow-ups while listening to the answers.

Here are some starter questions that should help you gather useful information and potentially lay the groundwork for additional exploration:

  1. What are the types of activities you engage in on a weekly/monthly basis?
  2. What are the aspects of your job you most enjoy?
  3. What are the aspects of your job you least enjoy?
  4. Were there things that surprised you about the job once you began working in it, and if so, what were they?
  5. What skills do you feel are most important to be successful in this type of work?
  6. How would you describe the company culture here, and at other similar companies in this industry (if known)?
  7. What do you see as the future of this career path?
  8. How would you like to see your own career path develop?
  9. Do you feel this industry offers strong employment growth opportunities?
  10. How do you stay current with the profession? What do you read, what conferences do you attend?
  11. What advice would you give to someone considering this career, company, or industry?
  12. I assume that you love your job here, but if you were to work for a different company doing this type of work, what company would you want to work for?

Keep in mind that these questions are simply suggestions. You should be mindful of your interviewees time so it is possible that you may not be able to ask them all. However, it is helpful to have extra questions in case some answers render other questions unhelpful or inapplicable.

 

To learn more about informational interviews, check out these previous posts:

How to Ask for an Informational Interview

Informational Interviews 101

Two More Things…

Here are some job opportunities on Handshake that might be of interest!

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