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Informational Interview (Good way to break into IT)
dynamik
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I came across this article via Lifehacker: http://shiftingcareers.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/mastering-the-informational-interview/
I had to do this during a career development course, which I originally only took to fill-out my schedule. Surprisingly, it was one of, if not the most valuable courses I have ever taken. Anyway, informational interviews are a great way to obtain guidance and make connections. That class was the first I have ever heard of these, so I thought I would pass this along. There are a lot of posts regarding breaking into the industry, so hopefully this will help those of you.
Here are the sample questions from the article:
There are a lot of very interesting people on these forums. If you would like to answer some or all of these questions, I'm sure others would find them to be very informative.
I had to do this during a career development course, which I originally only took to fill-out my schedule. Surprisingly, it was one of, if not the most valuable courses I have ever taken. Anyway, informational interviews are a great way to obtain guidance and make connections. That class was the first I have ever heard of these, so I thought I would pass this along. There are a lot of posts regarding breaking into the industry, so hopefully this will help those of you.
Here are the sample questions from the article:
NY Times wrote:1. Can you tell me how you got to this position?
2. What do you like most about what you do, and what would you change if you could?
3. How do people break into this field?
4. What are the types of jobs that exist where you work and in the industry in general?
5. Where would you suggest a person investigate if the person were particularly skilled at (fill in the blank — quantitative thinking, communications, writing, advocacy)?
6. What does a typical career path look like in your industry?
7. What are some of the biggest challenges facing your company and your industry today?
8. Are there any professional or trade associations I should connect with?
9. What do you read — in print and online — to keep up with developments in your field?
10. How do you see your industry changing in the next 10 years?
11. If you were just getting involved now, where would you put yourself?
12. What’s a typical day like for you?
13. What’s unique or differentiating about your company?
14. How has writing a book (starting a blog, running a company, etc.) differed from your expectations? What have been the greatest moments and biggest challenges?
There are a lot of very interesting people on these forums. If you would like to answer some or all of these questions, I'm sure others would find them to be very informative.