Who you should conduct informational interviews with will depend on the type of career advice and assistance you want. If you want to identify good career or job options or get feedback on your career and job ideas, you can interview:
- People who work in industries that appeal to you (or might appeal to you)
- People whose jobs use the same skills you enjoy using
- People who work in specific types of jobs that interest you
If you know the type of job or career you want and you’d like to get insider advice and job leads, you can interview:
- People who have that same position now
- People who could hire you (or know people who could hire you) for that position
- People with acquaintances in that profession who can help grow your network, or refer job leads to you
I generally recommend NOT reaching out to headhunters and Executive Recruiters for informational interviews. These professionals are often 100% commissioned based and typically want to talk with job seekers who are well-qualified for job openings they have right now. Feel free to reach out to recruiters if you want to, but don’t get discouraged if you don’t get positive results – it’s not about you… recruiters and headhunters just aren’t the best resources for informational interviews.
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