What an Informational Interview Actually Is
The term can sound more formal than the reality. An informational interview is simply a focused conversation — often 20 to 30 minutes — where you ask someone about their career experience, their field, or their organization. You initiate it. You guide it. And critically, there's no job application involved.
This matters because the information gap between what a career looks like from the outside and what it actually involves can be enormous. Job postings describe tasks. Salary surveys show numbers. But only someone doing the work can tell you whether the day-to-day is rewarding, what the field is genuinely trending toward, or which credentials actually matter to hiring managers.
Informational interviews fill that gap. They're a research tool — one that happens to involve a real person rather than a search engine. If you're weighing whether to pursue additional training, switch industries, or step into a new role, this kind of conversation can save you from expensive, time-consuming mistakes.
Not a Hidden Job Interview
Some people worry that requesting an informational interview is presumptuous or misleading. It isn't — as long as you're transparent about your purpose. Professionals generally appreciate being asked to share expertise rather than to evaluate a candidate. The conversation should serve your research, not disguise a job pitch.
How to Request One Without Feeling Awkward
Many people hesitate because they assume professionals are too busy or won't respond to strangers. In practice, a respectful, specific request is accepted far more often than most people expect. The key is clarity: explain who you are, why you're reaching out to this particular person, and exactly what you're asking for.
A message like "I'm exploring a move into healthcare administration and came across your work at . Would you be open to a 20-minute call to share your experience in the field?" is direct and easy to say yes to. Vague requests or messages that feel like thinly veiled job asks are what tend to go unanswered.
LinkedIn is the most practical starting point for cold outreach, but alumni networks, professional associations, and community college career centers are also underused resources. If you're making an industry pivot, targeting people who made a similar transition can yield especially relevant insights.
Personalize Every Outreach Message
Reference something specific about the person's background — a project, a role transition, or a company they've worked for — to show you've done your homework. Generic copy-paste messages get ignored most often. Even one personalized sentence significantly increases your response rate.
Questions That Get You Real Answers
The quality of an informational interview depends almost entirely on the questions you prepare. Generic questions produce generic answers. The most useful questions are ones only an insider can answer — not things you could look up yourself.
- What does a typical week actually look like in your role?
- What skills turned out to matter most that you didn't expect?
- What do people often get wrong about this field when they're coming in from outside?
- If you were starting over today, what would you do differently?
- What credentials or training do hiring managers in this space genuinely value?
That last question is particularly valuable if you're deciding whether to pursue a degree, certification, or specialized training. Understanding what transferable skills are already recognized in your target field — versus what gaps you'd need to fill — can sharpen your training decisions significantly.
70–80%
Jobs filled through networking, not postings
Widely cited career research, including work by LinkedIn, suggests the majority of positions are filled through professional relationships and referrals rather than public job listings.
82%
Professionals willing to help strangers
A LinkedIn survey found that 82% of workers are open to connecting with someone outside their network if asked thoughtfully and respectfully.
20–30 min
Typical informational interview length
Career counselors and HR professionals consistently recommend keeping informational interview requests in this range to maximize acceptance rates and respect the contact's time.
Turning Conversations Into Strategic Decisions
A single informational interview gives you a data point. Three to five conversations across different organizations or career levels give you a pattern — and patterns are what you can actually act on.
After each conversation, take notes on recurring themes: skills mentioned repeatedly, common entry points, credentials that came up organically, and red flags about the field you should weigh honestly. Over a short series of conversations, you'll develop a clearer, more grounded picture of whether a path fits your goals, your lifestyle, and your existing experience.
If you're navigating advancement without a clear internal track, informational interviews with people at the level you're aiming for can reveal what the real differentiators are — beyond what job descriptions say. And once you're ready to act on what you've learned, that foundation supports a stronger, more focused career search.
Always follow up with a brief thank-you message within 24 to 48 hours. It's not just courtesy — it keeps the connection alive in a way that can genuinely matter later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most informational interviews run between 20 and 30 minutes. When you reach out, request a specific, modest amount of time — 20 minutes is a common and respectful ask. Keeping to that limit shows you value the other person's schedule.
They can, but that shouldn't be your stated goal going in. When conducted genuinely, these conversations build relationships and professional visibility. Hiring managers sometimes think of strong informational interview contacts when roles open up — but treat any job opportunity as a bonus, not the purpose.
Target people currently working in roles or industries you're seriously considering. LinkedIn, alumni networks, professional associations, and even mutual connections are solid starting points. You don't need a warm introduction — a thoughtful cold message works more often than most people expect.
Focus on questions only an insider can answer: what a typical day looks like, which skills matter most in practice, what surprised them about the field, and what they'd do differently if starting over. Avoid asking for a job or referral during the conversation.
You can ask about general compensation ranges for the field or role without asking what the person earns specifically. Framing it as 'What's the typical salary range for someone at this level?' keeps the question professional and productive.
Start with your existing network — former professors, colleagues, or alumni groups. LinkedIn's alumni search tool is particularly useful for finding people who share your educational background and are working in roles you're exploring. Community college career centers and professional associations also connect job seekers with mentors.
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