This document provides information about planning your career through informational interviews. It discusses what informational interviews are, why they are useful, how to set them up, important questions to ask, etiquette, and following up. Key tips include starting with friends and family, alumni from your school, professors, or introductions from mutual acquaintances to set up informational interviews. Important questions focus on learning about a typical day/week/month on the job, challenges and rewards, desired work experience, and advice for your younger self. Proper etiquette and taking notes during the interview are also recommended. The document emphasizes using informational interviews to explore career options and make useful connections.

1. Planning Your Career
Part 2:
Making Connections
Emily Kolm
Fulbright Scholar

2. What is an Informational Interview?

3. Why do you need an Informational
Interview?
To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.
-Chinese Proverb

4. Where and how can you get an
Informational Interview?
• Start with friends and family
• Alumni from your school
• Professors
• Introduction by a mutual
acquaintance
• LinkedIn/Social Media
• Internet Research

5. The Key Question
Ask Not What An Organization Can Do For You…
Ask What You Can Do For an Organization!

6. Useful Questions
• What is a typical
day/week/month like?
• What are the greatest
challenges and rewards?
• What kind of work/internship
experience do you look for?
• What advice would you give
to your younger self if you
could go back in time?
Can you think of other questions
to ask?

7. Etiquette for the Informational Interview
How is an information interview • Request for an
different from a job interview? Information Interview
• Prepare
• Dress appropriately
• Describe Yourself
• Amount of time
• Take notes!
• Follow-Up

8. Brainstorm!
I want to be a Think of:
designer!
5 organizations
5 associations
5 individuals
5 websites
5 newspapers
Why would like to
connect with them?

9. Why Keep a List of Contacts?
He’s got them on the list
And then none of them be missed..
-Gilbert and Sullivan, The Mikado

10. The Contact List
What Information Should You Include?
Let’s answer this question Name
Title
Industry
Email
Phone …. Here you know best!

11. Applying For Jobs Is Like Dating
Do I like
Does she like to him? Will I
do what I like to like his
do? Are we friends and
compatible? family?

12. What is the Main Purpose of a Resume?
• Maybe we can add
a few bullets
answering this
question?

13. More About RESUMES
When writing your Resume:
• Be specific
• Think about your reader
• Always Accompany CV
with a Cover Letter!
Is this your Resume?

14. Resume Headings
Maybe we can use a
resume which is more
clear and label it’s
parts like this one?

15. Resume Flow Chart

16. What ShouldObjective Summary A Resume
(And Should Not) Be On
W
• 12 point font in Times New
Roman
• Font Consistency
• Plain white paper point font in Times New Roman
• 12
• In most cases, chronological
• NO personal pronouns
• Accurate and credible
• Active Verbs!
• NO personal pronouns (not to obtain
• Job Title that you hope
personal)
• Industry in which you hope to be employed
• NO grammatical errors
• Skills that
• Active Verbs!you have to offer relevant to the position

17. Objective Summary
Objective Summary
• Job Title (either very specific or more general)
that you hope to obtain
Objective: To secure a teaching
• Industry in which you hope to be employed
position in a private school where I
can become a member of a great team
• Skills that you have to offer relevant to the
and utilize my previous experience as
position
a language trainer, as well as my
communication skills and my
Objective: To secureTeaching Degree to the fullest.
an Account Management position in
a bank, where I can become a member of a team and
utilize my communication skills, my previous experience
as a customer service representative, as well as my
Banking and Finance Degree to the fullest.

18. Resume Formatting and Critiques

19. Go Make Some Connections!
www.adastragroup.org
www.career-for.me