When you finish your graduate training, do you know what you want to do next? If you are unsure, you aren’t alone. But whether you know the answer, at some point, you’ll have to decide.
This is where informational interviews can be extremely useful. Recently, I have been conducting informational interviews with people who have had similar graduate training to me or are in positions that pique my interest. When I first decided to start partaking in informational interviews, however, I didn’t know where to begin. This article will collate useful tips I have come across and my own personal experiences to help others with their career journeys.
The first thing you should do is figure out who you want to talk to. See if your department has a list of alumni who are available to be contacted or has a list of jobs they have gone onto. Search LinkedIn, Indeed, and other websites and find companies or positions that you could see yourself in. Once you have identified who you want to talk to, reach out to them. Your initial contact should include: (1) a brief introduction of yourself, (2) why you are contacting the individual and (3) expectations for a meeting. It may read something like this: “Hi, my name is Tyler and I am currently a third-year PhD candidate in the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute at the University for Toronto. I am starting to explore different career opportunities and was wondering if you had a half-hour over the next few weeks to meet in person or over the phone/skype to talk about your career path.” Assuming it is not a busy time for the individual, quite often they are more than happy to sit down and discuss their experience and career trajectories.
Once you have scheduled the meeting, make sure you have done some research. You should have a rough idea of the person’s educational background and work experience—if available to you—and a general understanding of what their company does and what their position is. While it also might sound silly, make sure you know how you want to introduce yourself, because more than likely the first question they will ask is “tell me a little bit about yourself.” Ensure that these points are relevant to the person that you are speaking with so they feel like they could put themselves in your shoes and will open up more to you. Also, make sure you have a list of questions that highlight why you wanted to meet with them. Ideally, the interview will be more of an informal conversation where both of you will be asking and answering questions. During the interview, try and find a balance between taking notes and having an organic conversation. Typically, after I have interviewed, I will find a place nearby after and write down any additional items that I forgot to jot down while they are still fresh in my mind. Always follow proper interview etiquette and send them an email afterwards thanking them for their time. You should keep in touch if you felt like the company was a good fit as you never know what could come of it down the road.