Informational Interviews

What is an Informational Interview?

An interview conducted to gather correct and useful information regarding a particular subject is called Information/al Interview. In the context of higher study or employment decision making, Info Interviews play a very serious role.

You may be a student who wants to choose a specific programme of study at a university in a country of your choice. You have good background info regarding the programme of study, the university, and the country where you will have to live in. But is that information well- enough to confidently make it the final choice? Have you got a detailed picture of the programme? Is the university your best choice? Is your subject selection the most accurate -considering your true aspirations, dreams, cognitive strengths and weaknesses, career opportunities in the future, your chances of sticking on to such a career, and your values and culture?

Or, you may be a job-seeker seriously in the look out for getting into a suitable employment and have short-listed a few employers for making targeted efforts to be hired by one of them. Your listing has had a set of criteria for choosing them, and have already passed through the rigorous process of elimination and inclusion, until you narrowed down to this handful of prospective employers who according to your earnest estimates would provide you with a head start in your great career making. Where did you get the information about these employers [companies] and what is the credibility of the sources of such information? Did you know that some of the so called successful medium level companies have the history of having some of the worst employment policies, procedures and terms? Did you think that if one of the firms in your list employs you, that would be the best available and possible first job you could ever undertake?

Informational Interview is the wisest step you can take before finalizing your career decisions, be it in seeking higher education avenues or employment opportunities.

For informational interview you approach an experienced person in the industry to gather relevant information. In this mostly face to face meeting you actively seek information from a former student of the university or an employee of the organization of your choice. In a job or university admission interview, you are being interviewed so that interviewer collects relevant information about you, your background, your skills and admissibility or employability. During an information interview, on the other hand, you are the interviewer, and you gather maximum relevant and critical information about your university or employer of choice, by actively seeking answers to your genuine queries from an experienced person.

The information that you collect from such experienced people is recorded in full, organized systematically and analyzed critically in order to arrive at certain decisions which ultimately lead to your correct choice of higher studies and career.