Informational Interviewing

An INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW can be conducted by connecting with someone based on your interest in a particular career field, occupation, employer, or organization. It could be as formal as an in-office appointment or as casual as a chat over a cup of Starbucks; there's no requisite meeting format. The particulars should be determined by the preferences of the individuals involved. Participating in a number of informational interviews allows you to discover potential career trajectories or to align your career aspirations to a specific position title. It's also an easy way to practice interviewing skills without the nervousness and pressure of a formal interview and a great opportunity to make networking connections within an organization.

Finding Connections

• ♣ Irish Compass: Connect with alumni who have opted in to support ND students and alumni with a wide variety of career development topics, including informational interviewing
• Notre Dame Alumni Directory: Discover information you can't find anywhere else through Notre Dame's largest directory
• Notre Dame Directory (People, Offices/Departments): Connect with fellow students, staff and faculty
• Notre Dame Alumni Clubs: These clubs connect you with people in a particular geographic region. Students can find upcoming events that provide the opportunity to network with alumni – some sites even allow you to upload your resume and others have job and internship postings. You can also try to connect with the young alumni representative of the club.
• LinkedIn (how to find people): View professional profiles, join groups, and follow employers to build connections and  learn from industry professionals
• Finding Emails: If you are having difficulty locating contact information, consider using sites such as ♣ Career Shift, Email Format, and "Hunter" to find email addresses for contacts. 

Building Connections and Strategies for Interviews

• Informational Interviewing Guide (From "The 2-Hour Job Search" by Steve Dalton) - TIARA Framework (Trends, Insights, Advice, Resources, Assignments)
  • Contact Types and the 5 Point Email
• KWL Chart (Know, Want, Learned)
• Networking Brief: As you plan to reach out to alumni and other professional contacts, consider providing examples of your most relevant qualifications as well as positions, companies, and topics of interest. This can serve as a “Resume/CV Companion".
• Email And Online MessagingTemplates:
  • Networking and Informational Interview Request Templates (includes LinkedIn examples)
  • Cold Email Templates

Additional Resources

• The Art of the Informational Interview (Official LinkedIn Blog)
• Mastering the Informational Interview (The New York Times)