Informational interviews are an excellent job search networking tactic. You possibly can achieve helpful trade and firm insights. Extra crucially, you’ll be able to construct relationships that will result in being referred to hiring managers.
How will you keep up a correspondence and proceed the connection (with out being perceived as a pest)?
Let’s say you had an informational interview with Samantha, who does work just like yours at an organization you’re all for. She has supplied you some recommendation.
Samantha is extra more likely to really feel like her time was properly spent – and extra more likely to need to supply further recommendation or leads sooner or later – in the event you report again to her on how the recommendation was helpful. That approach she looks like she actually made a distinction.
Earlier than you even go away the assembly, thank her and say “I’ll let you know the way this works out.” A few week later, ship her an electronic mail or card mentioning the way you adopted up on her recommendation and what the outcomes have been. Having made a dedication to comply with up, you may be perceived as following by means of on a dedication. No peskiness concerned!
And the place do you go from there?
Steve Dalton, the writer of one in every of my favourite profession books, The two-Hour Job Search, answered this query in his Q&A discussion board on LinkedIn:
After you’ve up to date your contact a few weeks with the standing of any referral they gave you (or if they didn’t offer you one), you turn the contact to a recurring month-to-month check-in. The primary month-to-month check-in ought to encompass three gadgets:
1) Recap that greatest piece of recommendation or perception they gave you
2) Give a selected instance of the way you benefited from that recommendation
3) Ask if they’ve further recommendation
In the event that they don’t have additional recommendation, you make future month-to-month check-ins extra private, inquiring about holidays & children, and so on., however all the time thanking them for his or her recommendation & asking for extra. This reminds them you’re nonetheless looking out, and prompts them for motion.
In the event you’re nonetheless having a tough time asking for one thing, know that there’s a phenomenon well-known to social psychologists, known as the Ben Franklin Impact – whereby politely asking somebody for a small favor – and following up appropriately afterwards – can really trigger them to supply extra assist in future than if you had completed a favor for them!
Profit from your informational interviews by turning them into ongoing relationships. This may be much more fruitful – in your job search and even after – than a one-time espresso date that’s shortly forgotten.
Now learn my submit, “Informational Interviews, 10 Ideas for Success” and get began with this confirmed career-building exercise.
This submit was initially revealed in Might 2016, and has been up to date.