Questions to Ask in an Informational Interview for Flexible Jobs

Questions to Ask in an Informational Interview for Flexible JobsQuestions to Ask in an Informational Interview for Flexible Jobs10Sometimes- when job interviews are few and far between- you can hone your interviewing skills while scoping out near-term or future possibilities by using informational interviewing. Informational interviewing is the art of asking knowledgeable professionals about whats going on in their businesses or industries so you can get the intelligence you need to focus your job hunting strategy. Read on to learn about informational interviewing and the questions to ask in an informational interview for flexible jobs.Informational interviews generally occur in face-to-face meetings, but you can arrange them to take place over the phone or through email. Regardless of the type of exchange, there are two cardinal rulesKeep your interviews short.Eliminate any semblance of a hidden agenda that youre looking to your subject for a job.You need to respect your subjects ti me and never leave your subject feeling used.Informational Interview Subjects Are EverywhereThe first question you might ask is, Who shall I interview? Almost any professional working in the field youre interested is fair game. The more tuned in your subject is to whats going on in his or her field, the more valuable will be the insights and intelligence you can gather from your interview.You can find likely subjects by looking for contacts on the websites of professional organizations, trolling for names of prominent professionals mentioned in the business section of your local newspaper, or gleaning names found in newsletters articles from professional organizations. LinkedIn is also a great source of networking contacts for informational interviews.You can also ask your colleagues for recommendations of a good person to talk to. Attending a professional meeting is a great way to put yourself in the orbit of whos who in your field of interest. After the meeting or during the socia l period, introduce yourself to people around you and let them know you want to arrange informational meetings.All you have to say is that youd like to learn more about this or that profession, business, or industry. By the end of the meeting, youll find yourself inundated with plenty of suggestions and possible referrals for people to talk to.Key Questions to Ask in an Informational InterviewBefore forging ahead with your interviews, plan what you want to ask. Your overall interest might be to learn about what skills are required for a particular flexible job or where opportunities are likely to break in your industry. It probably wont do you any good to talk to the CEO of a software start-up about what skills are required for web information development jobs when her expertise is in marketing and database structures. So tailor your questions to each subject individually.Here is a range of typical questions to ask in an informational interview for flexible jobsHow do you use ______ ____ interns/analysts/engineers/architects/etc. Fill in the blank for the type of position/job youd like to learn more about.? Do you use remote workers or flexible schedule employees, and under what circumstances?What is the role of these types of people from Question 1 in businesses/organizations like yours? How do your remote teams work together?What kinds of skills or backgrounds do your________ fill in the blank from Question 1 professionals have? What traits do you look for when you hire them? What skills do flexible workers need to have?Who are the key players in this business? What associations or organizations might be good for me to get involved with?What kinds of work are these other companies doing? What are the trends in this industry such as technology being used, whether flexible work is being offered and how, directions for the profession- such as certification requirements, initiatives or practices companies/organizations are starting?Can you recommend anyone else I should talk to? Would it be appropriate to let them know you referred me to them?Our thanks to Tom White and Maureen Mackey, the authors of this post, which originally appeared in their Independent Beacon newsletter. This husband and wife team live in Portland, Oregon, and manage a communications consulting business called the Green Galaxy Group.Stay tuned for Part II of this series, the Dos and Donts of Informational Interviewing for Flexible Jobs. Readers, have you ever been on an informational interview? What do you recommend for questions to ask in an informational interview for flexible jobs?