The Informational Interview

The actual usefulness of informational interviews has been debated by many people in public relations. Speakers at job fairs and career counselors all swear by the networking capabilities that informational interviews provide, but many high-level PR professionals are advising students to be more creative.

I actually had the pleasure of going on two informational interviews early in my job search. One ended up being more like a real job interview, which is one potential advantage, and the other taught me that the agency I was visiting was not for me. This, in my mind, was just as helpful as finding out that I loved the agency, because then I was able to move on and focus my attention on other agencies.

Some suggestions as far as informational interviews go:

• Keep it informal. If you are going in looking for a job, then ask for a job interview, not an informational interview.
• Arrange interviews with PR specialists you have already met, such as at a professional conference or a job fair. Or, do some research and contact a specialist that shares a common interest with you. For example, an alumni from your school or someone who works with a particular client you are interested in.
• Have a list of questions in mind. In a truly informational interview, it is you interviewing the agency, not vice versa.