A Guide: What is an Informational Interview?

What is an informational interview? Also known as a “coffee meeting,” an informational interview is an informal opportunity to get your foot in the door at a company that you’re really interested in working for. 

Basically, you’ll connect with someone (maybe an alum from your school, or a friend’s friend) who works at your dream company and ask to learn about their work. You’ll glean a lot of valuable information to take through the interview process, and hopefully also get a job referral. 

(For advice on writing a good outreach email to actually set up a meeting, check out this article.)

The informational interview is not an established part of a company’s hiring process, but it will help you get acquainted with the culture and the people. This can happen over a phone/video conversation or as an in-person meeting. I personally feel that in-person meetings are always better for the first impression – easier to establish rapport by bonding over coffees across a table.

It can feel like the pressure is on. Any piece of the job hunt is really daunting! Still, you should make the conversation as natural as you can, rather than rapid-firing questions at them. Do your best to reach a point of genuine connection (the same alma mater, favorite books, favorite weekend activity, etc.). It should all be very professional-friendly.

Even though the informational interview is informal, it’s not casual (if that makes sense). You should be smartly dressed, be incredibly respectful, and be prepared with discussion points.

• Check out the person’s LinkedIn. Understand their background and career experience.
• Research the company that you’re interested in working for. What is their mission? What do they sell? Have there been any news articles written about it?
• Prepare to share more about yourself. This person will want to know a bit about your story. What are you studying? Why are you interested in marketing? What do you hope to do later in life?

• At the beginning, genuinely try to get to know the person. Don’t launch into your questions about their job, no matter how excited you are to push forward with a job opportunity. It can be off-putting when someone is meeting with you as a favor, and you get transactional about it by interrogating them and trying to pull information.
  • Also tell them a bit about yourself – where you grew up, what you studied in school, and some past experiences you have. It puts people at ease to know who’s sitting across the table from them.
  • Share why you’re here at this meeting. It’s not just a random meet-and-greet – this meeting has a purpose. Let them know that you’re really interested in their company and maybe even a specific open job you found.

• They may ask something like, “so, how can I be helpful?” This is a good time to get into questions. Here are a few that might provoke insightful answers. Try to keep it as conversational as possible – don’t just fire off questions.
  • How did you get started in the industry?
  • I saw on LinkedIn that you switched from Sales to Marketing while moving to this company – how did you navigate that transition?
  • What are a few skills you wish you had picked up before starting the job?
  • How do you measure success in this role?
  • What does the team structure look like?
  • What’s your favorite reading material to stay updated on the industry?
  • What kind of person would be successful at this company’s culture?
  • Where do you see this industry in 5 years?
  • What’s the most challenging part of your job?
  • Is there anything that you think I can be doing to learn more about this type of job?

• Even if the meeting is going AMAZINGLY, be respectful of the schedule. Plan ahead to end the meeting on time.
  • If you feel like the meeting is going really well, reiterate that you’re interested in working for this company and particularly, in the specific role you found. Ask if they have any advice as you go through the interview process.
    • (If you felt like it went REALLY well, ask for a referral! Referrals can really go a long way, no matter the size of the company. See more on how to navigate referrals here.)

• Within 24 hours, send over a quick, friendly email thanking them for their time. Personalize it without going overboard. Doing too much can freak people out (speaking from experience on both sides).
  • “Hi Ann, thanks so much for your time today. I really enjoyed meeting you and hearing about your Content role at Facebook – the team sounds incredible. I really appreciate your offer to refer me to the Partnerships Analyst role. Attached is my resume – please let me know what else I can provide. I know we talked about sharing more reading material for staying updated on the marketing industry. Hubspot is one of my favorite reads – and they just came out with a great report on the best ads of 2020 – linked here!”

• After you’ve gone through the formal interview process, update this person (regardless of whether you got the job).
• Thank them again for their advice, tell them what ended up happening with the job, and what you’ll be doing next. It’s nice for them to know that they’re appreciated and were helpful.