The Art of the Coffee Talk
by Pradip Ananda, Associate Director of Career Guidance
The internet is a great place to find information but sometimes it helps to get firsthand information from people who are working at the job or in the company that you’re interested in. This is a great opportunity to set up a coffee talk, otherwise known as an informational interview, to learn more about the work you may be doing. The informational interview is often overlooked when someone is looking for a new job, but considering the fact that research shows the "hidden job economy" results in 50-80% of filled jobs are never posted, it can be a crucial piece to a job search. So where do you start and what do you do for an informational interview so you can get the most out of it?
Who should I talk to?
When you’re job searching, you don’t want to just find people who are in the same position as you and have the same views. You want people who can give you real and relevant information about what's needed for a specific job. If you have friends already working in the industry you want to work in, there's nothing wrong with starting by reaching out to them, but don't stop there. Try branching out by contacting people who work in the company you’re interested in or in the specific job roles that you aspire to work in. Those people can give you insights into company culture, how they got into the role you’re interested in, and more.
Where can I find people?
With the interconnected world that we live in today, it’s a lot easier to make connections than it used to be, and LinkedIn is a great place to start. If you’re looking to make connections at a specific company, you can go to that company’s LinkedIn page and see how many of your connections follow the page, and you can also go to the “People” tab and find current and former employees who have the company attached to their profile. From there, you can search through the employee list for the job title you're interested in, and you can create a list of the people who have worked in that role or are currently working in that role.
If you’re looking to connect offline, you can use your own network as a resource. Ask around to people you know to see if they have any connections in their own networks.
How do I get a meeting with these people?
For most people, this seems like the hardest part of the process, but it’s really pretty simple: just ask. If you're on LinkedIn, send them a message with a short description of what you're hoping to do, such as learning more about their role or the company, and the reason that you're reaching out to them. Make sure that if a friend has referred you to the person you want to meet with that you still make the connection yourself – don’t wait on your friend to reach out first. Remember when you’re reaching out that these people are potentially becoming a part of your network, and could even become an advocate for you within the company you’re interested in.
What should we talk about?
There’s one common mistake people make with informational interviews, and that’s approaching it like an actual interview and not as an informal conversation about someone’s role and perspective. You should be focusing mainly on the person you’re meeting with and not as an opportunity to sell yourself as a potential candidate for a company or job role. Instead, be curious and thoughtful in your questions so you understand why they enjoy working at the company, enjoy the role, and what skills brought them to that position. Talk about company culture, nature of the role, the skills that helped them find success in the role, and progression into the role.
Don't be afraid to ask deeper questions. Feel free to ask for specifics, such as if there are specific facets of the job or company that they like or even things they don’t like and wish could be improved. Keep in mind that things they like or dislike may not be the same as what you would like or dislike in a job, so try to see what they’re telling you from an objective perspective while you’re talking. You can always think more about what they’re telling you after your talk.
What should I do after we meet?
Two things should always happen after an informational interview: express gratitude for the person sharing their time and reflect on what you learned. Within 24 hours of meeting with someone, send them a note, whether that’s an email, text, or message on LinkedIn, to tell them how much you appreciate them taking the time to share their perspective with you. Once you’ve reached out to them, start thinking about what you learned in your informational interview. Take all of the information you gathered and imagine yourself in the role or company you’re interested in. Can you see yourself enjoying the role? Does the company sound like a good fit for you? This can be as easy as a yes or no, or you can make a pros and cons list. You could even get as granular as creating a spreadsheet with weighted categories. Give each category a score to see how this company or job stacks up against others.
Moving forward
Informational interviews are a great way to learn more about the company or role you’re interested in, and reaching out to and meeting with multiple people can help give you more information that you can use to decide if something is a good fit for you. Be open to learning more about the role and let the facts speak for themselves – don’t be afraid to decide that a company or role actually isn’t a good fit for you after speaking with someone. They can still be a great connection in your network since you never know where your career may take you in the future.
