Informational Meeting Tips

Informational Meeting Tips
BEFORE THE MEETING
 Research the company and Connection in advance (if that information is provided). Go
to the company website and read about what they do. Be ready to ask questions.
LinkedIn is also a great tool for this research.
 Prepare a list of questions to ask. It is important to bring enough questions to fill a 1
hour meeting. Sometimes, it is helpful to practice asking these questions to friends or
family members. Also make sure you start with questions that allow you and your
connection to get to know each other and lead up to questions asking about job
opportunities.
 Be realistic. It is unlikely you will receive all the information wanted from one person in
the span of one hour. Limit the number of questions to five or six and ensure that they
are focused and cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”.
 Know yourself better. Take some time to understand who you are and where you want
to go.
 Practice your elevator speech. Do you know what you are going to say if asked “Tell me
about yourself?”
 Confirm the meeting time, place and date. It is always a good habit to confirm the
meeting a day before.
 Be on time. Be conscious of the connection’s time, as they are taking time out of their
schedule to meet with you.
 Turn off all electronic devices: It is easy to forget this if your cell is usually on so please
do remember to put it on silent before your meeting.
 Spell check every single correspondence and remember a bit more formal is preferred.
You will be corresponding with the volunteer to set the time and place. Take as much
care in this correspondence as you did with previous cover letters for your job search.
Remember to use official language (Hello, Best Regards, Sincerely, Thank you) and then
adjust formality slightly as needed.
1
DURING THE MEETING
 Dress professional. Part of marketing yourself is looking professional, so dress as if you

were going to an interview (shirt, blazer, etc.).
 Take notes. Have a notebook and pen with you, to write down any important
information or referrals given.
 Maintain eye-contact and be appreciative. After the meeting, be sure to thank your
Connection for their time and advice.
 Be professional. While there are no promises, this connection could be important for
your career so make sure to keep a positive, professional attitude. You may have
worries about making connections and/or finding work, but a connection meeting works
best when you are upbeat and you focus on the positive. Also it is only natural that
discussing general information about your personal lives may cross over a little bit;
however, the focus should be on industry information and finding networking
opportunities.
 Be respectful of their time: Unless suggested by the volunteer, it is important to keep to
the time frame agreed upon for the meeting.
 Eliminate noise: Try to eliminate the noise and destructions during the meeting (e.g.
other people walking into the room, television or music turned on)
 Charge your devise: Make sure your electronic devise is either fully charged or plugged
in to eliminate destructions.
 Stay within the limits of the program: Unless suggested by the volunteer, please do not
ask for other favours from a volunteer. However, you are welcome to send a LinkedIn
invitation to the volunteer.
AFTER THE MEETING


Thank you note. After the meeting, it is essential to send a thank you email within 24 hours,
thanking the volunteer for their time.
2
DECIDING WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK
To be effective in an informational interview, you need to be clear about the kind of

information you are seeking. Below are some examples of questions that can be asked, and tips
on how to focus the conversation.
If you want to gather information about a specific professional role/positon, consider asking:
 What are some of day to day tasks associated with the role/position?
 What are the top three skills needed for the role/position?
 Is this role/position specific to the company, or is a similar role/position found in
different organizations?
 How is this role similar/different from comparable roles/positions in other
organizations?
 What should I study, or where should studies be focused to enable moving into a similar
role/position?
 s there an entry level role/position that could be a stepping stone to this type of
role/position?
 What have you learned from this role/position?
 What are some of the challenges associated with this role/position?
If you want to gather information about a specific industry, consider asking:

 Are there shared values among those individuals moving into this industry?
 What motivates you to stay in this industry?
 Is there additional training required of those individuals who enter into this industry?
 What experience and expertise is expected within this industry?
 Are there any unspoken expectations of people working in this industry?
 How does one remain current with industry specific information?
 How does one typically find employment in this industry?
 Are there any unique ways that people find roles within this industry?
If you want to gather information about a specific company, consider asking:

 Why did you decide to work for _______?
 In your opinion, how is this company different from its competitors?
 Do you feel optimistic about the future of ________?
 Have there been any recent changes to processes, business practices, or values at the
company?
 What is the atmosphere within company/ department?
 How do you interact with your coworkers? Are you allowed to work autonomously?
3
If you want to gather information about someone’s career or career progression/path,
consider asking:
 What interests and keeps you engaged about the work that you do?
 How/where did you start your career?
 What was a key point in your career path that brought you to where you are today?
 Looking back on your career, would you change anything?
 What do you foresee as the next step in your career progression?
 If you were to have taken an alternative path, what would it have been and what would
you have been prepared to take on?
 What parts of your previous education and experience have helped you the most in
your present position?

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Informational Meeting Tips

BEFORE THE MEETING

 Dress professional. Part of marketing yourself is looking professional, so dress as if you

AFTER THE MEETING

To be effective in an informational interview, you need to be clear about the kind of

If you want to gather information about a specific industry, consider asking:

If you want to gather information about a specific company, consider asking:

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