Introduction:
Informational interviews are an excellent way to learn about career paths, industries, and potential employers. They are particularly effective for job seekers in the early stages of their job search. However, many people approach informational interviewing with too little preparation and forethought. In this article, we outline the top 10 questions to ask during an informational interview, which will provide you with valuable insights and help you make the most of this opportunity.
1. What inspired you to work in this field?
This question can offer an excellent starting point to gain insight into the interviewee’s career path. The interviewer could share their journey, experience, and challenges faced in the industry and what kept them motivated during their career.
2. What are the most challenging aspects of this job?
Every career path has its unique set of challenges. Inquiring about the most challenging parts of a job can help you understand whether the job aligns with your career goals and help brace you for the challenges that lie ahead.
3. What does a typical day look like in this position?
Understanding a typical day in the interviewee’s job can help you decide if it is aligned with your personality, skills, and interests. Beyond that, It can also help you prepare yourself for the nature and duration of the work you can expect.
4. What skills, qualities, or experience are necessary to excel in this role?
No matter what role one aspires to, a set of skills, qualities, or prior experiences are crucial. Inquiring about these requirements helps you decide whether this job might be suitable for you, and furthermore, it could help you assess whether you need to develop new skills to be more suited to specific industries or employers.
5. What are the opportunities for growth in this industry?
If you intend to pursue a long-term career in any field, inquiring about industry growth opportunities is essential. It will provide insights into salary ranges, promotions, and, most importantly, career opportunities.
6. What do you like about working for this organization?
This question aims to gain insights from the interviewee’s core values and the organization’s management style. Their responses could shed some light on how they consider employees’ welfare, company benefits, and the overall culture.
7. How does this organization foster teamwork and collaboration?
Working together as a team to achieve organizational goals is paramount to any role in any organization. This question seeks to determine how the interviewee’s organization fosters teamwork and collaboration and how the role directly contributes to that end.
8. What are the biggest challenges faced by this organization?
This question will provide some insight into the organization’s potential shortcomings that the interviewee sees. It will help you evaluate how you could fit in and add value while being aware of areas of improvement and getting a bearing of where you can make a difference.
9. What advice would you give to someone interested in this career path?
Soliciting advice from veterans in a field can be a priceless source of information for anyone trying to break into the industry. Insights shared by the interviewee can offer guidance and help propel you in your quest for success.
10. Is there anyone else you would recommend I speak with?
If the interviewee feels that someone else’s insights could offer more information, this question could lead to additional contacts, opportunities, and tangents to explore. It might even present future professional networking opportunities.
Conclusion:
Informational interviews represent an excellent opportunity to gain insights into career paths, industries, and potential employers. Approaching an informational interview with the right preparation and asking the right questions can help you acquire the insights necessary to make informed career decisions. The top 10 questions outlined in this article have been carefully curated to offer guidance to job seekers at the informative interview stage.
