Brenda's Blog

(To go along with my article on Information Interviews. http://tinyurl.com/l54lrh )

Pick out a handful of questions for your information gathering interview. Ask about those things most important to you and your career exploration, letting the conversation flow naturally, while making sure you get the information you require.

1. What do you do in a typical day? Job duties and responsibilities?
2. What do you like the most about your work? What do you find the most rewarding? How do you feel when you’re at your job?
3. What do you like the least? What do you find the most challenging?
4. How did you get started in this career? How long have you worked in the job?
5. What education is necessary? Is there on-the-job training?
6. What work experience/background is necessary and/or useful to do this job? What did you do prior?
7. Knowing what you know now, would you have done anything differently before entering the field?
8. What skills and personal attributes are necessary in this occupation?
9. Are there opportunities for advancement?
10. What hours do you work? Do you work shift work? Overtime?
11. Is this type of work f/t, p/t, contract, seasonal, etc?
12. What type of people do you work with? How is the working atmosphere?
13. Are there high times/low times? Busy times/slow times?
14. Is there much turnover of staff in this type of work?
15. What does your company do? What services does it provide? Goal?
16. Would you advise others to enter this career at this time? Why or why not?
17. What, in your opinion, is the job outlook in this career area? What will affect its growth or decline?
18. What are other specialities/areas in this occupation? (Ask for referrals if appropriate.)
19. Where else could I find people involved in this field and in places I might not have thought of? What other settings or industries do (ie. bookkeepers) work in? (Ask for referrals if appropriate.)
20. What is the entry level position in this career? Starting wage typically? Average wage? Maximum wage? Other benefits?
21. How is the hiring done? (ie. direct application, internal, associations, web, etc.)
22. Can you suggest any volunteer activities related to this type of work?
23. Would you mind if I contacted you in future? (ie. for resume review/evaluation)

Notes:
• It is acceptable and appropriate to ask permission to take notes through the process of conducting your information interview. This information will be extremely useful as you start compiling and assessing it from your varied sources.
• Also, make sure to obtain and keep all contact information; name of person interviewed, job title, name of company, address, phone number, email, website, etc.

Over the many years that I’ve been an Employment Counsellor and facilitated those types of programs, one of the most popular workshops has definitely been Informational (or Information) Interviews.

While many people may have heard the term before, most are not familiar with what exactly it means and entails. Quite simply, they are a type of interview process utilized to obtain information. They are used most often to gather more details about career options (the example used in this article), but may also be used to gather information about business, interests, and so on. It’s based on the idea that if you’re interested in a particular career, let’s say, then the best person to ask about it is someone doing the actual job! That way you learn real-life perspectives from experienced individuals.

And while that may sound straightforward enough, many people are a little apprehensive about conducting them because it’s not something they have tried in the past. However, once done, the results speak for themselves and participants have found it to be one of the best tools they have under their belt, so to speak.

It’s important to note that the purpose of an Informational Interview is not to request a job. The purpose is to obtain career information from knowledgeable professionals in the field, in order to make a sound career decision. In addition, it enables you to do a reality check on what you’ve read, heard, thought or assumed so far in your exploration process.

Added benefits of Informational Interviews:
• They provide an opportunity to view the workplace, environment, and other employees on the job.
• They provide an opportunity to obtain a greater depth of valuable career knowledge than is possible with other research methods (i.e. print or internet). As a Chinese proverb says, “A single conversation across the table with a wise man is worth a month’s study of books.”
• They allow you to gather up-to-date information on trends and shifts.
• They provide an opportunity to gain advice from a potential employer on qualifications required and future job prospects.
• They provide no-pressure interview skills and practice.
• They help to enlarge your circle of networking contacts.

So how does one start? Well, the answer is by networking.

Network, network, network!
• First, you’ll want to create a networking contact list or spreadsheet. You can start filling in your list with friends, family, organizations, neighbors, business and community people you know, then of course you must, at some point, branch out by searching online, through the yellow pages, in directories, newspapers, in associations, and so on.
• Each time you talk with someone, don’t be shy, and ask for referrals (I always ask for two) and suggestions of whom you might speak to next. Ask if you can mention that they referred you. (This is free advertising for them, and turns a cold lead into a warm lead for you!) Work on growing and nurturing your network.
• You’ll want to speak to several people in the industry before making any decisions, and should consider speaking with all levels of professionals in the field, from the beginner, to the intermediate, to the advanced.

A little preparation goes a long way
• Be able to state concisely what information you’re looking for, your objective and goals.
• Create business cards or calling cards to distribute to everyone you come in contact with, to ensure people know how to reach you.
• If you are keenly interested in a particular career, you should have conducted some initial occupational research to establish that it matches your needs, interests, values, skills, etc. Ensure that you have this primary knowledge before going in to an interview. Do your homework first!
• Prepare a list of questions ahead of time, including ones customized for your specific career research.
• Keep your career exploration information together and well organized. Rather than bringing individual pieces of paper with you, prepare a professional portfolio or binder with your questions, blank paper, research obtained from print or the Internet, company information if applicable, and perhaps a plastic holder for the business cards you receive, your current resume, and any other pertinent information.
• Prepare telephone scripts for setting interview appointments. You’ll want one for seeking contacts (i.e. from a receptionist), and one for direct contact. While you might not think this is necessary, even the most seasoned communicators stumble with “uh” and “um”, or other fumbles, without one. In addition, if you are asked to leave a voicemail, you are then prepared to leave the most professional one possible.
• Practice by role-playing. If you feel uncomfortable at first with the thought of interviewing a stranger, try with a friend or family member, even if not in your field, just to get in the practice. It can really be a lot of fun!

Set the appointments
• Utilize your phone scripts. They will help you to sound professional, as well as help you to stay focused, articulate, and concise.
• Smile while you dial! People can tell! It works and can change the entire tone of a conversation!
• When speaking directly to your contact, mention your referral if you have one. Explain your purpose and be to the point. This is not a job interview – it is simply a request for information. Most people are flattered! Remember that people answering a business phone are there to provide quality customer service, and your request should be treated no differently. Ask for a set period of time to meet (e.g. 15 or 20 minutes.)

Conduct the interview
• Treat this interview as a formal job interview. Dress appropriately, be well groomed, polite, organized, prepared, punctual, sharp, and alert.
• Always greet people with a warm, friendly smile and a firm handshake.
• Have a good two-way conversation. Ask your questions, making sure you get the information you need about the occupation. At the same time, be willing to share some information about yourself and your occupational goals.
• Be relaxed. There is no need to be nervous or intimidated. This interview is not for a job (not now at least), but you are making the crucial first impression. The balance of control is in your favor, as you know what information you need and what the questions are. The pressure is less on you and more on them as the spotlight is focused on their expertise and your interest in their expertise.
• Take notes, as this will show that you are serious about getting the information, and it will help in your decision making process later.
• Be sure to ask for the names of other people you could speak to. Be open to other ideas and avenues. Ask for at least two other contacts. If you do this at four information interviews, you will have eight new contacts in related occupations! Remember to ask if you may mention that he/she referred you.
• Courteously follow the time frame agreed upon. If it was 15 minutes, stop at that point to thank them for their time. Quite often they are happy to extend, so count on spending more time there just in case!

Follow-up
• Write a thank you note (or at least an email) to each person who you interviewed. This reinforces your sincerity and professionalism, and will encourage the contact person to speak with you again if you need to. Let them know your outcome.
• Keep in touch with people who you think might be able to help. Call back, send a note or email with updates on your progress, or by sending/sharing other relevant information.
• It is not uncommon that the contacts gained from Informational Interviews later turn into actual job leads. Statistically, 1 in 200 resumes turns into a job interview, while 1 in 12 Information Interviews results in a job!

So before you jump head first into a new job, career, educational course or program, or even a new (and potentially costly) hobby, if you commit to the research involved with Informational Interviews, you will be able to rest assured that you are making the best possible decision. And have a lot of fun and meet new people in the process!

Brenda Blackburn, copyright 2008

Note: This article also appears on Career Communique Radio, where I was recently interviewed. Take a look around and sign up on their site for great career information. Whether you’re a job seeker, a career changer, an explorer, a leader, an employer, or just want to keep up with what’s happening, you’ll want to take a listen to these shows with Annemarie Cross and Keith Keller!

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Every day of our lives we make personal and professional choices that involve and reflect our values. They are our beliefs of how we think we should be living our lives; our internal code of ethics; our standards for behavior; our guiding principles.

There are endless values, for example: spirituality, truth, love, family, security, creativity, abundance, knowledge, competence, independence, community, freedom, and so on. There are no “right” or “wrong” when it comes to your values. They are right for you simply because you have given them importance.

Our values are internally influenced by factors such as our personality, frame of reference, “programming”, and desires, and are externally influenced by life events, the environment, societal conditioning, needs, and so on. Some principles may be intrinsic and fairly static, some will be reprioritized, and some will cease to be of importance to us as we adopt new ones to guide us. Simply put, our values evolve as our beliefs evolve.

Even though our values greatly influence everything from how we live our personal lives, to how we treat others, to how our careers are fairing, they are often followed without awareness, tucked away in our subconscious. Therefore, it’s beneficial to periodically bring them to the surface to examine them more closely and ensure we are in congruence. In other words, to make sure that our beliefs, emotions, and actions all match and are in alignment. In so doing, we create a greater sense of inner balance, harmony, and integrity.

Self-Discovery Process

To unearth your values, you may want to do two different processes: one to identify your general life or personal values, and one to identify more specific career values. I often recommend doing both, in order.

Life Values

For your overall life values, here are a couple different options you may want to consider. Use the one you feel most comfortable with:

1) Write out a list of all the life values you can think of. Write what is important to you now… not what you think you “should” write, or values you wish you believed in whole-heartedly, but don’t. There should be no pressure and spend as long on it as you wish. You may find that stepping away from it for a while, gives you fresh perspective when you come back to task. Then, when you feel finished, prioritize them and develop a “top 10 list”. These are values you have identified as crucially important, so you must take ownership of them, exude them… put them to the test by taking action. Role model them: live them. As Gary Zukav said, “You are only as powerful as that for which you stand.”

2) Listen to one of my previous podcasts. This is a guided audio assessment entitled, “In Pursuit of Your Passions”, and is just under 12 minutes in duration. This will guide you through a fun process of discovering your passions—specific, personal things you value—and steps to take towards fulfillment.

Career Values

For your career values, you may want to be a bit more specific as to what you value on the job: tasks, responsibilities, behaviors, etc. Examples may include things like: independence, being part of a team, competence, leadership, flexibility, variety, stability, challenge, friendships, profit, decision making, and so on. Follow the same directions as for 1) above.

As you make the list, you may find similar values to those on your general life values list. This is par for the course and illustrates how connected these areas are. You are not two different people: one in your personal life and another in your professional life. You are one.

After you have made your “top 10” list, identify if those values are being met in your current position. If not, what positive internal or external actions can you take?

For those who may be seeking a new job, position, or career, you may also wish to write a list of the positions you are considering, and then calculate the number of values you feel will be met beside each. Take score. Keep in mind that your decision needs to be based on numerous things, values being only one of them. It’s important to find the correlations and commonalities between assessing your values, personality, passions, and skills. However, every step in self-evaluation and re-discovery is a step towards creating the life we envision.

“Understand and embrace your values, for they become your destiny.”-Mahatma Gandhi.

Client Story

When one of my clients was a teenager, she was persuaded by her parents to attend university to study for a career that was of no interest to her. She pursued the vocation for them, at their persistence, and completed all of the required degrees. She was employed in her field for many years before she came to the Career Exploration workshops I was facilitating.

She had reached a point where she simply couldn’t ignore her situation any longer. She felt like her external world was crumbling apart all around her. She had a career she didn’t want in the first place and now even that was on shaky ground with the attitude she had grown to develop. In her unhappiness, she had begun to shut out her family, friends, and even her husband.

After I guided the group through a process of discovering their values, she was stunned. In her “aha” moment, she realized that even though she wasn’t aware of what her values exactly were before, she knew she certainly wasn’t living her current ones. She had forgotten who she was and what mattered to her most. She had not been centered and had disempowered herself.

With her new awareness, she excitedly began to listen to her truth and follow it. She couldn’t believe how re-discovering her principles had affected her in such a huge and positive way. That was a massive turning point for her. She continued to learn and practice new methods of positive growth. She ultimately embarked on the vocation of her dreams. Her relationships began to flourish again. She transformed herself and her life.

Take Action Instead of Offense

As you can see from the client story, without values awareness or taking action, both internal and external conflicts can occur.

Internal issues happen when we believe one thing, but do another, and when we are not fully aligned with our values. For instance, if I believe, mentally and emotionally, in the importance of honesty, yet am dishonest to myself or anyone else, then I am in direct conflict with not only my values, but with my outer world, as I am out of alignment physically. Again, I would be preaching one thing, yet living another…not walking my talk. I would have not taken the important step of harmonious action.

When we aren’t following our own truths, it’s a little like self-abuse: our self-esteem lowers, as we essentially disrespect ourselves. And, once we do that, our external world is soon to follow suit. In essence, we would be living a lie. It would be like believing it’s important, yet not important enough to honor it by living it—by being the essence of that belief. This contradiction will draw in negative behavior from others, knowingly or not. If we don’t respect our own values by living them, why would anyone else?

We also run into other self-created external conflicts when we feel in dispute with others’ values. We have to tread cautiously here. Unknowingly, our principles can be laced with judgments about what we believe to be right and wrong, and what our expectations are of others. We must honor diversity, be open minded to others and appreciate the importance of their values. But to do so, we have to first put our own agendas and egos aside.

In yet another instance, (as you might have experienced from the audio exercise), sometimes we value something, but feel we are not getting enough of it, so we hope the value will be fulfilled through the actions of others. However, whatever we seek of others we must firstly exude ourselves. We must be it. In doing so, it will naturally come back to us.

With all this talk about conflicts, they certainly don’t need to be perceived as negative. They are merely a red flag. An indicator that something needs our attention and remedial action… if only our own perception. And that is how they are very beneficial and life transforming!

“Imagine a lone sage walking down a dark road just before dawn, holding a lantern as a light for others to follow. Such sages, lighting the way for others, can only lead where they are willing to travel. If they fall off the path, so will those who follow. If you were such a sage, could you lead by your example? Could you inspire others with your integrity?”—Dan Millman

Conclusion

Once you are clear about your values, you will start to see how and why these things have been important to you; how you’ve been naturally engaged with people who shared similar values; how your beliefs and values are connected to your emotions; and how you are motivated by what you truly care about it. The more you unravel it, the more you can reflect on and evolve these values when it is time to do so.

When you follow your values, you honor yourself and live in congruence, even against the status quo if necessary. You gain a healthy self-respect from taking responsibility and accountability for your own life. And you can ensure that your governing principles are incorporated into all areas of your life and applied to your day-to-day living, so that you make clear choices and head in the right direction. By living with positive intention, you lead by inspiration.

Brenda Blackburn, copyright 2009