The document provides guidance on landing an interview for a case study assignment, including planning your case topics in advance, creating a template email to contact companies that is polite and to the point, and following up professionally through email and phone calls to schedule an interview and ask initial questions while making it clear the purpose is educational not commercial. Key advice is to research the company beforehand, be grateful for their time, and avoid coming across as desperate, threatening, or asking multiple people at the same firm at once.

1. Landing the Interview
How tos, dos and please
don’ts

2. How to Start
 Plan your case
 Choose top 3 systems or business solutions
 Do some background research
 Plan key questions of interest
 Create a template email
 Include the bare essentials
 Name, brief background into your program, the course, and
the assignment
 Interest in their company
 DO INCLUDE: sincere gratitude and a call to action
 DO NOT: Send them an essay, ask the questions
upfront, send a generic email to EVERY contact, use
language or wording that would suggest you as a security or
trade secret threat, or desperate.

3. Where to Start
 Do you have connections with connections?
 Are you on social media and do you know how to use
it?
 Google search
 Twitter
o @ mentions,
o # hashtags,
o location
 LinkedIn
o Connections’ connections
o Jobs search
o Companies search
o Group search
DO: tweet, LinkedIn/facebook update that you’re looking for
someone to talk to about an case study on a system used in
the real world
DO NOT: email multiple people within the same organization

4. Making Contact
 Send your template email
 Include their name and customize the content
 Do some research into the firm
 Once they’ve contacted you back, next steps…
 Set up a convenient place and time for
o Coffee
o Lunch
o Information interview
 Opt for a phone interview
 Ask to Job shadow for a day
DO: create a calendar meeting and invite the individual
(Google calendar)
DO NOT: assume details that were not confirmed

5. Handling the Back and Forth
 Talk a little bit more about the assignment
 Clear up any ideas about the intention of the case
o Not for publication
o To be used and reviewed in the class setting
o Promise a copy of the final case
 Ask about background information on how the information
system is used and viewed within the company
 Ask about the individuals role in the process, whether they are a
stakeholder, and general bio
 Begin with the first wave of questions and then with follow ups
once first wave answered
DO NOT: make promises about whether case will be published
online (as we are using a wiki)
DO: stress that you appreciate the help and are looking forward
into learning about their firm

6. Good Luck
If having absolutely no luck or need further
instruction, questions, etc… Feel free to contact me 