Informational Interviewing

While we are on the subject of getting on the inside of potential employers, let's clear the air on a very common misperception among college students. Starting in the '80s and '90s, there has been a plethora of books written on the subject of informational interviewing and using it as a device to get an interview.

Let's get this straight--if you use informational interviewing as a ruse (i.e., lie, deception) for getting an interview, you should be put up against the proverbial wall of ethics and shot. Strong words? Maybe. But I have seen the scores and scores of abuses in this area and there seems to be no end in sight.

The problem is this: many career authors (often with little or no personal real world work experience), are unknowingly setting up college students for the wrong use of informational interviewing. There is a right use of informational interviewing: namely, to speak with someone in a career you are considering to help you decide whether to pursue that career path. The wrong use of informational interviewing is when you already know what career path you intend to pursue and use informational interviewing as a technique for talking to someone on the inside of a company in order to get an interview. Let's call it what it is--dishonest and unethical. Any fool that gives in to your informational interviewing ruse will be a fool no longer when you get to the closing line (and true ulterior motive): "Your company sure sounds interesting. Do you know of any way that I could get a job here?"

When I was at IBM, no one in our department would even consider going through an informational interview--even if we thought it was valid. Why? Because the technique was so abused that we had become calloused to its usage in any form. And you will find the same response at many large companies.

My advice: don't do it. If you are an underclassman sincerely seeking information on which career to pursue, informational interviewing is a valid technique. But there should be no job strings attached. On the other hand, if your true motivation is to get an interview with the company, do not lie about it. Be up front. And use the following technique as an honest and ethical way to get on the inside.

You are welcome to browse this material as a visitor of our site, but please do not violate the copyright by making copies of this material, either electronic, paper or any other type, with the exception of one paper copy of each page permitted for your own personal use and reference.