The first time I heard the term ‘informative interview’, I was in my early twenties and in a job that, while wildly impressive on the surface, had long stopped challenging me. A friend – we’ll call her Tyler – first mentioned it to me. She’d just landed a big PR job and a hefty pay rise after finally plucking the courage to arrange an informal meeting with one of the brand’s directors whom she’d met briefly once before.
Around the same time another friend, who had recently forged a mentor-like relationship with a big editor, had just secured a big collaboration with a brand for her blog, at a time when she (read: her boyfriend) was convincing her to jack it all in and find something more ‘sensible’ to do. The moral of the story is that both friends put those big career breaks down to informative interviews.
For those out of the loop, an informative interview is essentially an informal meeting with someone you respect within your industry. Think of them as a relaxed way to find out more about what that person does and their career path while also serving as a platform for you to put your best foot forward and walk away with serious career advice. It’s not about outright asking someone for a job; at their simplest informative interviews are about learning from someone you admire. Sometimes they will bring about a job or you might be recommended for a role or put in contact with people or organisations that can help take your up a notch.
It’s no secret that fashion, and the wider creative industry, is notoriously hard to penetrate. It’s well established that contacts are everything and jobs are rarely advertised, which is part of what makes getting on the ladder or taking that next bit step that little bit harder. If you are after a job, setting up informative interviews allows you to have inside knowledge about current or future job openings at their company or any other company and in doing so, you’re ahead of the game because you’re benefiting from a face-to-face conversation with someone who’s in a position to hire or refer you. The more of an impression you make, the more likely it is that someone will feel willing to support you. They’re a tool that will prove useful throughout your career, not just when you’re thinking about a new job. You can use informational interviews when you want to learn more about a certain industry before having a career change or even to get information before launching your own business or starting a new project.
I’ve had countless informational interviews since then. The big break that helped take my career came to the next level – and out of that old role – came from talking candidly to someone I admired in the industry about what I was looking for from my next role. It just so happened that a friend of his was about to announce her departure from a big title and he quickly put me forward for the role. I started three months later.
Before you take the plunge and take that step, here are a few hints and tops to point you in the right direction:
Banish all fear: Not everyone will have the time or desire to speak with you but don’t allow a fear of rejection to stop you from being proactive and taking a chance. What’s the worst that can happen? Someone says, no. You’re no worse off than when you started. All you have in taking that leap is the opportunity to gain. More people than not would want to help someone who is clearly eager to grow and learn and if they’re too busy to meet you, chances are they’d be more than willing to put you in touch with someone else.
Do your research: Like with an interview, there is nothing worse that turning up unprepared. While you’re there to gain information, it’s vital that you know enough about the person and the company in order to ask relevant questions. This may be your only opportunity to get one-on-one time with that person so you want to make it count. Do a search on them and the company on Google and make sure to SWOT up on their background on LinkedIn too. Prepare questions and think about what you want to walk away from the meeting have learned.
Send an email: Chances are, whomever you want to meet will have a demanding schedule so avoid calling and get in touch. Don’t send a long-winded email like a job application. Keep it short, keep it concise and keep it friendly. Tell them a bit about yourself and why you’d like to meet.
Send a thank you note: Whether you send a thank you note via email or by letter is all down to personal choice but I don’t think anything can beat posting a handwritten card. It’s a good gesture to show you appreciated the person’s time and will really help make a lasting impression.
Keep in touch: Depending on how things go, make an effort to keep the line of communication open. Touch base with them if you have any follow up questions and keep them updated with your progress. Professional relationships are so important and allow you to expand your network. You never know where a cordial relationship with a senior person in your field may lead you in your career.
So now over to you, have you ever had an informational interview and if so, how did it go? Did you bag a job or get some great words of wisdom? As always feel free to put it in the comments below.