Trends and Resources: Informational Interviews

Whether you are a student, a young professional, mid-career adult or preparing for a second career in retirement, informational interviewing can be your gateway to great decisions and interesting people. We would like to recommend a few resources to prepare you for informational interviewing.

For a free copy of Career Vision's "Career Choices Matrix," please call or email us. This tool can be used to evaluate career options after gathering career information.

Check out the terrific article "Informational Interviewing: Get the inside scoop on careers" on the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Quarterly website.

Florida State University's Career Center has a Career Guide on Informational Interviews on their website tailored specifically to students. Informational interviewing is a great way to explore college majors and internship possibilities as well as occupations.

"What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job Hunters and Career Changers" by Richard Nelson Bolles has a comprehensive section on these interviews and a helpful explanation of the differences between informational interviews, employment interviews and networking.

Finally, the website Quintessential Careers hosts an Informational Interviewing Tutorial that provides detailed information on all aspects of informational interviewing. The tutorial includes helpful hints, sample letters, and a script to use for phone calls.

© Copyright 2006, Career Vision / Ball Foundation. Article may be reprinted with permission.

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