I’m starting to conduct informational interviews with people in the Organization Development (OD) field so that I can explore the types of OD roles that are out there, learn from others’ journeys, and build meaningful connections. I am just getting started, but I’ve already found this process to be extraordinarily helpful.
I’ve recommended informational interviews to a few people lately, so I thought I’d quickly share my own approach. While an informational interview lacks the pressure of a job interview, it’s just as important to be prepared. This person is taking time out of their day to help me, so I want to make the most of their time.
Here’s what I do to prepare:
- Confirm logistics – Double check time zone, who is calling whom, and amount of time available. I also tend to confirm how much time the person has at the beginning of the call so I pace my questions accordingly.
- Do my research – Learn about the organization and industry, check out the person’s LinkedIn profile, and do a Google search for any publications the person may have written. I don’t need to memorize the person’s entire career or become an expert in their industry, but getting smart on at least the basics helps me better tailor my questions, make the most of their time, and understand the context behind their answers.
- Prepare questions and talking points – I create an outline for each informational interview that’s tailored to the person. I also created some talking points around my own career and what I’m hoping to learn from our conversation. I study and become comfortable with the questions I prepare, but I try to stay flexible and go with the natural flow of the conversation. It’s helpful to pick 2-3 “must ask” questions, and then refer to the other questions you have as needed in the conversation. Here are some examples of questions I’ve asked recently:
- I’d love to hear about your journey – how did you begin working in this field? (I usually open with this)
- What was the biggest change or challenge in your transition from consulting to an internal role?
- What would you say are the most important values at your organization, and how would you describe the culture?
- What are the most challenging/rewarding parts of your job?
- If I asked a leader within your organization to describe Organization Development, how do you think they’d respond? or What is OD’s “brand” within your organization?
- Is there an experience or skill you wish you’d had in the first part of your career, or something you wish you’d done differently?
- Think about ways to return the favor – Since this person is doing me a favor by chatting with me about their career, I try to think about ways I can support or help them in return. For instance, I recently interviewed someone who is doing some fascinating generational research, and I offered to connect her with some other people I knew who are conducting complementary research. This might not always be possible, but at the very least, I send a thank you note to show my appreciation.
I’ve found these articles really helpful in my preparation as well –
- Lowdown on Informational Interviews
- 10 Intelligent Questions to Ask on an Informational Interview
- Six Questions to Ask in Every Job Interview
- One Question You Should Ask About Every New Job
Anyone else have any tips or go-to questions when preparing for informational interviews?