Informational interviews offer you the opportunity to speak with a professional who is currently working in a position you have interest in.

Informational interviews offer you the opportunity to speak with a professional who is currently working in a position you have interest in.

 Find a current professional within your field

 Schedule and conduct a face-to-face informational interview

 Submit a three (3) page minimum reflection on your experience and what you have learned

Review the reflection questions below before conducting your interview. Knowing what you need to address in your paper will help you to develop the questions you want to ask your interviewee.

Please note – you can conduct your informational interview either in person (highly preferable), or via Skype video chat. Informational interviews may not be conducted over the phone or via email. This must be a face-to-face conversation.

Reflection Paper

Your reflection paper must be a minimum of 3 pages. Use 12-point font (Times New Roman) and 1” margins.

It is required that your paper address all of the points below – feel free to add any additional information that you would like to share about your experience and what you have learned from it.

Do not write your paper in bullet-point format. Papers must be written in paragraph format. You do not need to include a transcription of your interview.

List your interviewee’s name, title, and company.

What did you learn about your interviewee and/or their company from your pre-interview research?

Briefly describe your experience setting up your informational interview. How did you find someone to interview? Was it easy/difficult to arrange the interview?

Briefly describe the work your interviewee performs on a regular basis.

Briefly describe the office/work site you visited, or as described by your interviewee. Does this type of office/environment feel like it could be a good fit for you? Why or why not?

What were your interviewee’s educational & career paths?

From speaking with your interviewee, what three things did you learn about this career field that you did not know before?

What surprised you most about this career area/job work site?

9. Did the professional offer any advice on how to successfully enter this field? If so, what?

10. Choose from the following:

What did you learn/observe that reinforces this career is a good match for you?

What did you learn/observe that gave you second thoughts about this career path?

11. Choose from the following:

If you would like to work in this position in the future, what might you do over the next five years to ensure you are a viable candidate? What type of education and/or experience would you need to have?

Since you have decided that you no longer want to work in this profession, what field do you think might be a better fit for you? What steps will you take over the next five years to divert your career path to the new option?