What is an Informational?

•A fact-finding meeting between you and a professional to research a field of interest

•Can last 15 minutes to an hour • TIP: If you ask for less (15 min.) often the employer will give you more (30-60 min.)

What is an Informational?

•Your goal is to gather as much intelligence as you can regarding: A specific profession (career path)

A company (public, private, gov’t, non-profit)

Career development strategies

Opportunities in the field (jobs & internships)

• Remember: your intention is not to ask for a job, but to simply mine for information

• Use informationals to develop your professional network during an internship or news job

What is an Informational?

A How-To Guide

Step #1: Explore Your Network

•Start with the “low hanging fruit”•Who do you know?

•Who do your friends or parents know?

•Which career paths do I want to get to know better?

•Are there industries or even companies I want to know from the inside out?

•TIP: use LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com)

Step #2: Reach Out• via LinkedIn, email, or phone

Introduce yourself

State what you want

Suggest a meeting time/place

In short, tell the employer…

Dear Jane Christen,

I am an economics major at the University of Oregon seeking to learn

firsthand about careers in Human Resources. I am very interested in

talking with you about your role as a Human Resources Assistant and

would love 15 minutes of your time to get your perspectives on this

field.

If you have time in the next two weeks, I would very much appreciate

a short meeting in person, by phone, or via Skype at a time convenient

for you. My schedule is generally open weekday afternoons after 2 pm

and all day on Fridays. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Bill Sherman

(541) 346-3696 | wsherman@uoregon.edu

Step #3: The Meeting

•Recommended Questions (choose 5-6):

• How did you get your start in this profession?

• Why did you choose this career field?

• What are the skills and personality traits needed to

do this job?

• What does a typical work day look like? A typical

week? What is the rhythm of the year?

• What are the most difficult problems you face?

• How much variety is there in your work? How much specialization?

• What kinds of projects do you manage?

• Where does your position fit on the organizational chart of the

company?

• Looking back, if you had it to do over again, is there anything you

would do differently?

• What major changes or challenges do you see coming in your

industry?

• What is a typical starting salary? After 5 years?

• How is your work evaluated?

• What do you like and dislike most about your job?

• Is there anyone in the company you’d recommend me talking to in

order to learn more? May I use your name as a referral?

Questions?