Informational Interviews Provide Perspective

Many students begin college without a clear major, career, or professional goal in mind. Students will often hear various suggestions about how to navigate the career exploration process.

The most popular recommendations are to experiment with taking a variety of courses, acquire an internship in an area of interest or volunteer at an organization that entices you.

Informational interviewing is another option, but often a foreign concept to many people. Informational interviews entail seeking out individuals who are currently working in a career or a related field you would potentially like to pursue, to gather information about their occupations.

We suggest you prepare at least ten or more questions that specifically address the kinds of details you think you should know about, including common trends in their profession and how they acquired their position. Here is a helpful website to find potential informational interview questions.

Engaging with someone through an informational interview who is actively employed in a profession that is appealing to you can offer you a “real-world” perspective you would not receive through online research.

This is just one of many tools that can assist undecided college students in choosing a satisfying career.

Contributed by Rio Salado's Counseling Services, helping students with their personal, educational and career goals.