Last week we talked about networking, why it can be challenging, and why it's necessary when you're looking for a job or internship. Today we meet networking's evil twin: informational interviewing.
As if interviewing for actual positions wasn't nerve-wracking enough, informational interviewing is the interviewing that you go through when there may not even be a position for you to be offered. But as painful as this sounds, informational interviewing is just an important as networking when it comes to exploring career fields and applying for jobs or internships.
So why do it?
Here are a few reasons why informational interviews are important:
1. Informational interviews are an opportunity for YOU to ask questions, gather information about a career field or organization, learn about job options and career paths, and make contact with people who can help identify opportunities in their fields.
2. Informational interviews help you practice for the interviews that you'll have for future positions. What better place to stumble a little over your words than in a conversation where an internship or job isn't on the line? Sure, you want to be prepared for the informational interview, but it's an opportunity to improve your interviewing skills, without worrying that a "wrong" answer might lessen your changes of receiving an offer.
3. Informational interviews get your foot in the door. Pretend you do an informational interview at company X, but company X isn't hiring. You learn more about the work that this company does, and you gain insight into the culture of the organization. 6 months later you're looking for opportunities on Chicago Career Connection when you see your dream internship posted at company X. The first thing you should do is email the person at company X who conducted your informational interview and let him or her know that you're hoping to apply for their internship. Already, you have a leg up on the competition, because you know someone inside company X and you know what their organization is all about - and you've expressed your interest in that company months ago, so they will know that you really want to work there.
How do you do it?
Start by writing an email requesting an informational interview. If you're writing to someone who you've met in the past (perhaps someone you met through networking!), introduce yourself and remind the person of where you met and when.
If you're contacting someone who you haven't met before (perhaps someone who you found on the Alumni Careers Network), introduce yourself and explain where you got their contact information. Then express your intent to gather information only.
In both cases, indicate why you want to interview your contact, and add a sentence or two about your own background and goals. Finally, request to do an informational interview over the phone –about 20 minutes in length. Be sure to accommodate the interviewee’s schedule.
Also check out career exploration websites like OwlNotes.com, which does the work for you and provides in-depth informational interviews with professionals in a variety of fields.
REMEMBER: Informational interviews are NOT job or internship interviews. You shouldn't be asking the person who you speak with for a position, but you should be learning more about the organization and expressing your interest in working there.
For more tips on information interviewing, check out this CAPS' Handout. To schedule a practice interview before you begin informational interviewing, call CAPS at (773) 702 - 7040.
More questions about informational interviewing? Post them here.
Showing posts with label social networking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social networking. Show all posts
Friday, August 15, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
The Pros and Cons for Your E-Persona
Facebook...LinkedIn...MySpace...
These are just a few of the many social and professional networking sites that exist right now, and the connections are widespread. I don't know a single University of Chicago student who isn't on Facebook right now, and that includes CAPS (search for the CAPS Facebook page and you can join our group or become our friend, whichever you prefer).
So many individuals are using networking sites like these now, that the lines between you and your e-persona can begin to blend together. Your persona is "a person's perceived or evident personality, as that of a well-known official, actor, or celebrity; personal image; public role" - your e-persona is all of those things, on the internet. And thanks to the widespread use of networking websites, it's not just well-known officials or celebrities who have e-personas anymore - it's everyone.
So what's the problem? All of my friends are on Facebook. Some CAPS staff members even have their own pages. I'll even introduce my e-persona to your e-persona, what do you think?
The potential pitfalls of all of this on-line networking are examined in a recent article from the journal Science. In the article, the author, Peter Fiske, warns of the dangers of putting too much information out onto the internet - and what the consequences can be. Fiske states, "Even if you refuse to sign up for any social-networking sites, there is information about you on the Internet. Are you familiar with the term 'vanity Google'? If not, search online for it, then search for your name. It’s interesting what comes up, isn’t it? This is your e-persona: the record of yourself as preserved and presented on the Web. Every employer considering hiring you will likely search online for your name. I do it with everyone who makes my shortlists."
Yikes. A quick Google search of my name revealed some photos of me from a friend's birthday several years ago, beer bottles proudly displayed in each one. Is this a huge problem? Maybe not, but the last thing I want a potential future employer to do is look at those photos and think "Candidate A looks like a party animal. Let's go with Candidate B."
It's not all bad - as Fiske points out, "the use of networking sites can help you find contacts in companies or organizations that interest you through your network of friends and colleagues (and the people they know)," and you can also use these networks to find out when opportunities open up in an organization that you are interested in working at.
Bottom line: In order to take advantage of the doors that a networking website can open for you, be sure that the photos or comments on your profile won't result in those doors being slammed shut.
Do you have tips or questions about keeping your on-line profiles professional looking? Post them here. And don't forget to visit CAPS on Facebook, to link keep up to date about upcoming events and resources.
These are just a few of the many social and professional networking sites that exist right now, and the connections are widespread. I don't know a single University of Chicago student who isn't on Facebook right now, and that includes CAPS (search for the CAPS Facebook page and you can join our group or become our friend, whichever you prefer).
So many individuals are using networking sites like these now, that the lines between you and your e-persona can begin to blend together. Your persona is "a person's perceived or evident personality, as that of a well-known official, actor, or celebrity; personal image; public role" - your e-persona is all of those things, on the internet. And thanks to the widespread use of networking websites, it's not just well-known officials or celebrities who have e-personas anymore - it's everyone.
So what's the problem? All of my friends are on Facebook. Some CAPS staff members even have their own pages. I'll even introduce my e-persona to your e-persona, what do you think?
The potential pitfalls of all of this on-line networking are examined in a recent article from the journal Science. In the article, the author, Peter Fiske, warns of the dangers of putting too much information out onto the internet - and what the consequences can be. Fiske states, "Even if you refuse to sign up for any social-networking sites, there is information about you on the Internet. Are you familiar with the term 'vanity Google'? If not, search online for it, then search for your name. It’s interesting what comes up, isn’t it? This is your e-persona: the record of yourself as preserved and presented on the Web. Every employer considering hiring you will likely search online for your name. I do it with everyone who makes my shortlists."
Yikes. A quick Google search of my name revealed some photos of me from a friend's birthday several years ago, beer bottles proudly displayed in each one. Is this a huge problem? Maybe not, but the last thing I want a potential future employer to do is look at those photos and think "Candidate A looks like a party animal. Let's go with Candidate B."
It's not all bad - as Fiske points out, "the use of networking sites can help you find contacts in companies or organizations that interest you through your network of friends and colleagues (and the people they know)," and you can also use these networks to find out when opportunities open up in an organization that you are interested in working at.
Bottom line: In order to take advantage of the doors that a networking website can open for you, be sure that the photos or comments on your profile won't result in those doors being slammed shut.
Do you have tips or questions about keeping your on-line profiles professional looking? Post them here. And don't forget to visit CAPS on Facebook, to link keep up to date about upcoming events and resources.
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