Write an article based on this "Consider asking a professional contact for an informational meeting. Request a meeting. Pick a setting and time that is convenient for your contact. Do your homework. Create a list of questions for your meeting. Compose a personal statement. Bring a pen, notepad, and updated resume to your meeting. Dress professionally."
If you meet someone with a good job in the industry you're interested in, or you have an acquaintance or manager at the firm where you're interning, you might want to conduct an informational meeting with them. An informational meetingalso known as an informational interviewis a conversation with a reference or acquaintance who can serve as a professional resource for you. You get to ask the person about their experience, their field, and any advice they might have for candidates trying to get into the field. When considering who to ask for an interview or whether or not to ask a specific person, try jotting down what you want to accomplish and what kind of information you're looking for. For example, are you interested mainly in strategic advice for application materials, or do you just want some general information about the field in order to determine your interest in a career in the industry? Answering these kinds of questions will help you determine who will be a good interviewee and whether or not a specific candidate will be useful to you. When asking a contact or acquaintance for an informational interview, you should mention the phrase 'informational meeting' or 'informational interview' explicitly. If you don't request this specifically, the person might show up expecting informal drinks or a friendly chat and then feel miffed or caught off-guard when you start asking serious questions. For example, if you've met someone at a party or networking event and chatted for a bit, say something like, "I have a lot of questions about the field and your experience in itwould you mind getting coffee some time and having an informational meeting with me?" If you don't have the chance to ask them in person, you can make contact via email or telephone. Just make sure to be concise and polite so that they don't feel burdened by the request. Though the person giving you an informational meeting might be glad to help you, they're still doing you a favor by giving you some time out of their work day. This means that you should make the meeting as convenient for them as possible, taking up no more of their time than 15-30 minutes. Check with your interviewee as to what time of dayfor example, during lunch break or after workand what kind of venuefor example, a coffee shop or their officethey prefer. You should also let them know that, while an in-person meeting would be great, a telephone or online conversation is also perfectly fine. This consideration shows that you're respectful of their time and happy to accept any modicum of help they're willing to dole out. Once you've set up a meeting with your contact, research their background as best you can. This will help you figure out how to approach them, as well as what information they can give you. For example, find out what career path they've followed and what their main projects and roles are currently. Asking specific questions will also show your interest and enthusiasm. Over-the-top flattery should be avoided, but something like, "My old manager said she learned so much about turning your passion project into a viable companyhow did you get started in the first place?" can grease the wheels and make your interviewee more likely to go the extra mile to help you out. Once you've identified your goals, draft a plan for the meeting that will accomplish these goals. Write down the questions you want to ask and put them in a strategic order. Warm up with general questions that show your curiosity, such as, "How did you get started in this field?" and "What kind of projects are you working on at the moment?" From there, move on to more specific questions, such as, "What qualifications or skills should I highlight in my application?" or "How should I prepare for an upcoming interview I have scheduled?" You don't have to read off of this agenda in the meeting if it makes you feel awkward, but you should bring it with you to check periodically and make sure that you don't skip anything you'd wanted to ask. Perhaps even more than seeking to glean information and advice from an informational meeting, you're trying to make a positive impression on your interviewee. You want to give your contact a brief summary of who you are, what makes you unique, and what you're interested in. This will make it more likely that they'll remember you later on if a relevant vacancy at their firm opens up or they meet someone who could be useful to you. In order to do this effectively, jot down a paragraph or a list of points about yourself that you can mention at an appropriate time during the meeting. This will help make your impression more memorable, as well as prepare you with answers to any questions your interviewee poses to you. One of the most important things you should do at an informational meeting is express interest in the person's advice and expertise. You can do this by coming prepared with pen and paper and taking notes during the meeting, as well as having an updated resume handy in case the person asks for it. These preparatory measures indicate that you're serious about the meeting at hand, respectful of the other's expertise, and professional about handling and processing new information. You probably don't need to wear a business suitunless you're meeting the contact at their formal, corporate officeto an informational interview, but you should wear something smart and put-together in any case. A sleek day-dress or well-pressed button-up and trousers will signal to your interviewee that you've got your life together and that you care about making a good impression. Avoid jeans, t-shirts, and scuffed sneakers in particular, as these garments can make it seem like you didn't even bother to interrupt your normal routine when getting ready to meet the contact.