How Informational Interviews Work and What They're Actually Good For

What an Informational Interview Actually Is

The term can mislead people. It sounds like a formal process, but an informational interview is simply a structured conversation where you ask someone with relevant experience to share what they know about their field, role, or organization — on your initiative, not an employer's.

There is no application. No one is evaluating your resume. The person you speak with has agreed to give you their time, and in exchange, you come prepared with thoughtful questions. That is the entire structure.

What makes these conversations valuable is access to information you cannot find in a job listing or on a company website. Real talk about career trajectories, day-to-day realities, and unwritten rules of an industry is the kind of insight that shapes better decisions. It is also a form of networking that feels less transactional than most, because the immediate purpose is learning rather than asking for something.

If you are thinking about a career pivot, exploring an industry you have never worked in, or trying to understand why your job search is stalling, this type of conversation can surface answers faster than months of independent research. See our guide to common job search myths for related misconceptions that often block people from using tools like this effectively.

How to Request One Without Making It Awkward

The most common reason people avoid informational interviews is the fear of imposing. In practice, a well-crafted request is rarely experienced as intrusive. The key is specificity and brevity.

Your outreach message — whether via LinkedIn, email, or through a mutual contact — should do three things: explain who you are in one sentence, state clearly why you are reaching out to this person specifically, and propose a defined time commitment (20 to 30 minutes is the norm). Do not bury a vague ask at the bottom of a long message.

Example framing: "I am exploring a transition into supply chain management and came across your work at . I would value 20 minutes to hear about your path into the field and what you look for in new professionals entering it. Happy to work around your schedule."

Alumni networks are often the most receptive pool for initial outreach. Many people feel a sense of obligation to help someone from the same school — use that connection explicitly when it exists.

Not everyone will respond, and that is fine. A low reply rate is not a signal to abandon the approach — it is just the nature of cold outreach. Even a 20–30% response rate can generate meaningful conversations if you reach out to enough people.

What to Do During the Conversation

Arrive — whether in person, by phone, or by video — with a short list of focused questions. Do not read them mechanically, but having them prepared prevents the conversation from drifting into small talk that wastes both parties' time.

Questions worth asking include: How did you end up in this role? What does a typical week actually look like? What skills do you see as most essential that job listings don't emphasize? What do you wish you had known before entering this field? Is there anyone else you would suggest I speak with?

That last question — often called the "bridge ask" — is one of the most strategically useful things you can do. A warm introduction to one more person compounds the value of a single conversation into a network effect.

Avoid turning the conversation into a job pitch. If the person asks about your background, answer honestly and briefly — but the dynamic should remain curiosity-led, not promotion-led. Understanding what professionals pick up on in conversations can help you be more intentional about the impression you leave.

What You Should Realistically Expect to Get Out of It

Informational interviews will not land you a job directly, and framing them that way to yourself — or to the person you approach — will undermine the conversation before it begins.

What they reliably deliver is clearer direction. After a handful of conversations with people working in a target field, you will have a much more grounded sense of whether that path fits what you are actually looking for. You will also understand what qualifications matter, what the field's pain points are, and how your existing experience might translate.

They also contribute to long-term network-building in a way that passive job board use does not. When a role opens up in someone's organization months later, the people they are most likely to think of are those they have had a real conversation with — not profiles they scrolled past. That is a concrete advantage worth building over time. For more on how the job market actually works, see our overview of common hiring process misconceptions and our broader Job Search Skills hub.