Nine reasons why an informational interview is better than a regular job interview:
1
You can access the hidden job market: 80% of open positions are not advertised publicly because they’re filled via referrals, which you can get by knowing
the right people through informational interviewing
2
You can create your own position: regular interviews don’t happen for positions that don’t exist yet, but informational interviews often inspire a hiring
manager to hire the informational interviewer!
3
It can reduce stress: in a regular interview, the burden is on the candidates to demonstrate why they would be a good fit for an open position. In an
informational interview you are the interviewer, and while you still want to demonstrate your skills, there’s no expectation for you to do so
4
You can sidestep job qualifications: unlike in a standard job interview, you have not formally given your consent to be "evaluated." Your reason for speaking
with a hiring manager isn’t that you believe yourself to be qualified for a job (even though you might), only that you’re looking for information
5
You can make the interview happen: you decide when, where and with whom you will have an informational interview, not the company. You’re not going
to wait to be chosen for an interview; you’re going to make it happen yourself
6
You can control the agenda: if you initiate the informational interview, there are no job requirements to constrain your conversation (no job was discussed).
You have control over the ways your capabilities are demonstrated
7
It can help avoid human resources: a hiring manager in your field is the ultimate decision-maker on hiring someone like you and rule number one in any
selling situation is to get to the decision maker as fast as you can
8
You can control the follow up: because you’re not an official candidate for any role, there is no company process to constrain your communication with
your contact
9
You can shape the job: through informational interviewing and the subsequent follow up, you have a chance to present yourself to a hiring manager as a
solution to a problem. By dangling the carrot you might find the hiring manager writing a job description for a candidate with skills a lot like yours
Informational interviewing, although new to many students, is the most powerful tool a job seeker has. This is especially true
if you’re hoping to study and then work abroad, where immigration issues can complicate a search. Unlike the usual job search
drudgery, informational interviewing is a job search technique that you can both do and enjoy.
The above article is an excerpt from Power Ties, a book empowering students to find employment and work-visa sponsorship in the United States,
written by Dan Beaudry. Power Ties is due for release in the summer of 2009. www.powerties.net
28 TopMBA CAreer Guide www.topmba.com

TopMBA CAreer Guide www.topmba.com 29
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