Request and conduct informational interviews

- Informational interviews can be the secret sauce in your job search. I can't even begin to tell you how many clients I've had that have landed jobs that they didn't know existed, or that were created for them because they met a decision maker for coffee. I don't have any scientific evidence that supports this. It's anecdotal, but based on my experience and the experience of my clients, I estimate that on average 20 to 25% of cold e-mails that job seekers send out to decision makers that are both personalized and targeted get a response. Now if you think about it, that's a pretty good odds considering that on average, only 3% of job seekers who apply to a position online get invited to an interview. The best way to land an informational interview is by sending an InMail or e-mail to the person of interest. I've found that if you can establish a warm connection to the person, you're more likely to get a response. This connection can be your former boss, old sorority sister, or a friend of your Uncle Bill. Having a name in an e-mail can significantly improve a response rate. If you do not have a connection to the person, maybe you identified them on LinkedIn when you were creating your target list of companies because you admire the work that they do or the company that they work for. Then the key to getting a response is to make the person feel special. The odds of getting a busy person to respond to an e-mail that feels like a copy paste e-mail that you sent to over 500 people is low. You have to start the e-mail with a hook, and if possible, mention something relevant and personal. For example, let's go back to Josie, my job-seeker avatar. One of her target companies was Figma, a cloud-based interface design tool. Her e-mail could be as simple as I hope this e-mail finds you well. I'm a regular listener of Bruce Marable's "Employee Cycle" podcast. I stumbled upon your podcast last week and found myself jotting down notes as I was listening. I loved your ideas around onboarding remote employees. I am a senior technical recruiter who is also passionate about intentionally recruiting the best talent and creating an employee experience that breeds creativity and high productivity. The work that you're doing is really interesting to me. I imagine that you're extremely busy. However, would you have time for 20 minute informational meeting with me? I'd love to learn more about your career, and if you're willing, advice on how to position my experience to hiring managers of innovative start-ups. I'd love to treat you to a mint mojito coffee or caffeinated beverage of your choice. Thanks for your time, Josie. The best way to prepare for informational interview is to read up on the background of the person that you're meeting with. Google their name, look at their LinkedIn profile. See if they've been on any podcast or if they've been on a YouTube channel, or YouTube show. Look for common ground, ways that you can connect with a person on a human level. You should also do some research on the company that they work for. It's really important to know what the company's doing now and how they're growing. You can ask the person more specific questions when you're meeting with them, but it's best to be prepared going into the conversation, so that you have great things to talk about. Finally, you want to prepare five to six open-ended questions. The goal here is not for you to sell yourself, but for the person to share their story and their experiences. And lastly, don't forget the unwritten rule, which is never ask for a job in the informational interview. Now is the time to put this into action. Is there someone in your life who you've been meaning to have a conversation with? Why don't you take a few minutes and send them a thoughtful e-mail?