An informational interview is one of the most useful and least used tools in any career. It is a short conversation, usually twenty to thirty minutes, with someone who does a job, works at a company or knows a field you want to understand. You ask about their experience; they share what they know. You are not asking for a job, and that is precisely why it works. People who would never answer a stranger's request for a job will often happily give twenty minutes to someone who is curious about their work. Done well, an informational interview gives you knowledge you cannot get from job descriptions, and often becomes the start of a relationship that matters later.
This article explains what an informational interview is for, how to ask for one, what to ask, how to follow up, and the mistakes that turn a good request into an awkward one.
What an informational interview is for
The idea was popularised by Richard Nelson Bolles, whose job-hunting guide What Color Is Your Parachute?, first self-published in 1970, became one of the best-selling career books ever written. Bolles argued that job seekers should research careers by talking to people in them, before applying anywhere.
An informational interview does three things. It tells you what a job or field is really like, beyond the job advert. It helps you decide whether it is right for you before you commit. And it introduces you to someone who knows people you do not, which matters because, as the sociologist Mark Granovetter found in the 1970s, people often find jobs through acquaintances rather than close friends. That research is discussed in how to network as an introvert.
You are asking for twenty minutes of someone's experience, not for a job. That difference is why people say yes.
Check yourselfBefore you read on: you want to understand a field. Is it better to ask its most senior figure, or someone who moved into the role a few years ago? Decide, and say why.Show the answerHide the answer
Usually the person one or two steps ahead of where you want to be. They still remember the path they took and tend to have time for a conversation. A chief executive usually has neither, however impressive the name.
Who to ask
The best people to ask are one or two steps ahead of where you want to be, not the most senior person in the field. Someone who moved into the role a few years ago remembers the path and has time; a chief executive usually has neither.
- Your extended network first: former colleagues, classmates, friends of friends. A shared connection makes a yes far more likely.
- Alumni of your school or university, who often feel an obligation to help.
- People who have written or spoken publicly about their work, which gives you something specific to refer to.
How to ask for an informational interview
A good request is short, specific and easy to accept. It explains who you are, why you are asking this person, what you want to learn, and how little time you need.
| Part | Example |
|---|---|
| Who you are | "I am a marketing coordinator exploring a move into product management." |
| Why them | "I saw your talk on moving from marketing into product, and it described exactly the path I am considering." |
| What you want | "Would you be open to a 20-minute call to share what that transition was really like?" |
| Make it easy | "I am happy to work around your schedule, and completely understand if now is not a good time." |
If you have a mutual contact, ask them to introduce you rather than writing cold, as explained in how to ask for an introduction. If you do not hear back, one polite follow-up a week or so later is fine. After that, let it go.
What to ask in an informational interview
Prepare questions in advance, and make them about their experience rather than facts you could find online.
- What does a typical week actually look like in your role?
- What surprised you most when you started?
- What skills matter most, and which ones did you have to learn on the job?
- How did you get into this role, and what would you do differently?
- What do people misunderstand about this work?
- What is changing in the field right now?
- If you were in my position, what would you do next?
- Is there anyone else you think I should talk to?
The last question is the most valuable. A single informational interview that leads to two more introductions quickly builds a picture of a field, and a small network within it.
How this is taught inside Astra Trainer
The Networking direction in the Leadership, Career & Influence world runs to 36 courses on building relationships that last and reaching opportunities that never get posted, including Starting Conversations, Moving Beyond Small Talk and Networking With Purpose.
Informational interviews use all three: a good opening, questions that go beyond the obvious, and a clear purpose. Lessons take about five minutes and a guide walks you through anything strange.
During the conversation
Keep to time. If you asked for twenty minutes, watch the clock and offer to finish on time. If they want to keep talking, they will say so.
Listen more than you talk. Introduce yourself briefly, then let them do most of the talking. Follow up on what interests you rather than working through your list mechanically.
Do not ask for a job. It changes the conversation and puts them in an awkward position. If there is an opportunity and they think you would suit it, they will often mention it themselves.
Take notes. Specific details are what make your follow-up, and your later decisions, useful.
How to follow up
Send a short thank-you message within a day, mentioning one specific thing you learned or plan to do because of the conversation. That shows you listened, and makes you memorable.
Then, a few weeks or months later, send an update: you spoke to the person they suggested, you took the course they recommended, you applied for the role. People who give advice rarely hear what happened, and an update turns a one-off conversation into a relationship. The broader habit of staying in touch is covered in how to build a professional network.
Common mistakes
Disguising a job request. If you are really asking for a job, people notice, and the trust is gone.
Asking what you could have looked up. Questions about the company's size or products waste their time and signal you have not prepared.
Asking too broadly. "Can I pick your brain?" is vague and hard to say yes to. "Twenty minutes on how you moved from marketing into product" is easy.
Never following up. The conversation ends, and so does the relationship.
Why networking is a set of small habits
Informational interviews feel awkward the first time and routine by the fifth. Like most networking, the skill is built by repetition, not by reading.
Astra Trainer is built for that. Quizzes follow each topic and each course ends with a ten-question final exam, while daily quests, points and a streak keep five-minute lessons going. A Circle gives you a small group with a shared weekly goal and live sessions, which can itself be a place to find people to talk to.
Check your next request before you send it
Ticked: 0 of 6
Each unticked item is a gap the sections above cover, and most map to one of the common mistakes. Fixing two or three of them before you send usually matters more than polishing the wording.
What to take from this
An informational interview is a short conversation to learn about a job, company or field from someone in it. You are asking for insight, not a job.
The approach was popularised by Richard Nelson Bolles in What Color Is Your Parachute?, first published in 1970.
Ask specifically and briefly, prepare questions about their real experience, keep to time, and always ask who else you should talk to. Follow up with thanks, then with an update.
Which is why the most useful way to think about an informational interview is as the start of a relationship, not a one-off favour: the insight comes in the conversation, and the opportunities come later.
Test yourself
Question 1 of 3
Halfway through the call you learn the team is hiring for a role you would suit. What does the article suggest you do?
What is an informational interview?
An informational interview is a short conversation, usually 20 to 30 minutes, with someone who works in a job, company or field you want to learn about. You ask about their experience and advice. It is not a job interview, and you do not ask for a job.
How do you ask for an informational interview?
Send a short, specific message explaining who you are, why you are contacting this person in particular, what you would like to learn, and how little time you need, such as a 20-minute call. A mutual introduction makes a yes much more likely.
What questions should I ask in an informational interview?
Ask about their real experience: what a typical week looks like, what surprised them, which skills matter most, how they got into the role, what is changing in the field, and who else you should talk to.
Should you ask for a job in an informational interview?
No. It changes the nature of the conversation and puts the other person in an awkward position. If they know of an opportunity that suits you, they will often mention it themselves.
Where can I learn networking skills in short lessons?
The Networking direction inside the Leadership, Career & Influence world of Astra Trainer runs to 36 courses, including Starting Conversations and Networking With Purpose, in five-minute lessons with quizzes. The first lesson needs no card.
Where this leads. Job vs Career helps you decide what to ask about, by making clear what kind of career you are building.
