Perhaps you are thinking about a career change or you are still thinking about what field you want to get into. Informational interviewing is a great way to gain knowledge of the field you are interested in and it can help you make an informed decision as to what the right career path is for you. By talking first hand with professionals who are already doing what you want to do, you can develop clearer short-term and long-term career goals, build your professional network and gain confidence for when the time comes for a real job interview. Here are some tips to keep in mind about informational interviewing:

• Do be clear about your objective when setting up an informational interview. Let the person know your purpose for wanting to talk with him/her - that you are doing research related to your career.
• If you are nervous, do start with interviewing someone who will not cause you to be anxious. For example, you could start with interviewing a friend or relative about their field.
• Do not ask the person you are interviewing for a job! Remember that the purpose of the interview is strictly for gathering information about their position and field: what their typical day is like, how they got started in the field, what advice they could give about getting into in the field, etc.
• Do not ask the interviewee about their salary. Do ask for the general salary ranges for their field.
• Do have a list of questions prepared that you want to ask. Remember that unlike a job interview, you are the one responsible for the direction of the interview. Do some research on the company and field before going into the interview. Do not ask general questions that could have been researched beforehand.
• Do stick to the timeframe you decided on ahead of time. It is usually appropriate to ask the interviewee for 20-30 minutes of their time.
• Do not ask to tape the interview. Do take good notes for you to refer back to after the interview has been completed.
• Do not ask personal or non-career related questions. Remember that even though you are not asking for a job, you do want to come across as a professional – you never know if this person will be able to help you get a job in the future.
• Do follow up with a thank you note and ask if it would be okay for you to keep in touch every now and then.