TIL about informational interviews from a chance chat at a coffee shop

I was grabbing a latte last Tuesday and ended up talking to a woman who works in data analytics. She told me she got her current role by reaching out to people on LinkedIn for 15 minute chats, not by applying cold. I had never heard of informational interviews before, honestly. She said she did about 12 of those calls over 3 months before one led to a job offer. It seemed too simple to work, but I tried it last week with a manager at a local firm. We talked for 20 minutes, and he offered to look at my resume. Has anyone else tried this approach and seen real results?

3 comments

3 Comments

river95210d ago

Yeah that "15 minute chats" part is spot on. People think you need to beg for an hour but most professionals are way more willing to talk if you keep it short and respect their time. I did something similar a few years back and the key was asking specific questions about their actual day-to-day work, not just "how do I get a job here." One guy even ended up forwarding my resume to his boss before we hung up. It's wild how much people open up when you're just curious instead of asking for a favor.

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aaronsullivan9d agoTop Commenter

Ha, you just reminded me of the time I asked a senior dev "what's the most annoying part of your week" and he spent 20 minutes venting about a broken coffee machine. He ended up giving me his personal email for follow ups. I was like "great, my networking tactic is just being a free therapist." But seriously, asking about their actual frustrations or little wins makes them forget they're even being interviewed.

umar4910d ago

Did you ask them what they actually do day to day?