COMPREHENSIVE
CAREER GUIDE
Preparing HPU Students for
INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWING
The industry titans who HPU attracts to campus to mentor students are featured on this page, but the list is always growing. Visit www.highpoint.edu/innovators to learn more. INNOVATOR IN RESIDENCE
Steve Wozniak
Apple Computer Co-Founder SPORTS EXECUTIVE IN RESIDENCE
Cynt Marshall
CEO of the Dallas Mavericks and former Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at AT&T CORPORATE EXECUTIVE IN RESIDENCE
Russell Weiner
Domino’s COO and President ENTREPRENEUR IN RESIDENCE
Marc Randolph
Netflix Co-Founder TALENT ACQUISITION EXPERT IN RESIDENCE
Dee Ann Turner
Former Vice President for Talent at Chick-Fil-A EXECUTIVE COACH IN RESIDENCE
Dr. John Maxwell
Bestselling Author and Internationally Renowned Leadership Expert ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
Dean Cain
Famed Actor, Producer, Television Presenter and Former Football Player JOURNALIST IN RESIDENCE
Byron Pitts
Co-Anchor of ABC News’ “Nightline” TRUST EXPERT IN RESIDENCE
David Horsager
Bestselling author and global authority on helping leaders and organizations become the most trusted in their industry
1 | HPU’S COMPREHENSIVE CAREER GUIDE
LEADERSHIP EXPERT IN RESIDENCE
Mark Sanborn
Leadership speaker and best-selling author, President of leadership development idea lab Sanborn & Associates CORPORATE EDUCATOR IN RESIDENCE
Scott McKain
Best-Selling Author, Business Consultant and Trainer ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
Ben Owen III
American Studio Potter GLOBAL LEADER IN RESIDENCE
William “Bill” E. Kennard
Current Chairman of AT&T’s Board of Directors, Former U.S. Ambassador and Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) BROADCASTER IN RESIDENCE
Joe Michaels
22-year Former Director of the NBC “TODAY” show GLOBAL ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
Karen Jacobsen
The “GPS Girl” and Australian voice of Siri
WHAT IS AN INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW? An informational interview is a preplanned, oneon-one conversation with someone who has a job you might like, works within an industry you might want to enter, or is employed by a specific company that interests you. These interviews are opportunities to learn things like the inside scoop on a particular company, what salaries are like, what a typical career path in the industry might look like, and so forth. ★ Important Note: Don’t Ask for a Job. Sometimes, students have the misconception that doing an informational interview is a way to get strangers interested in hiring you or giving you job leads. As a result, some people ask for informational interviews when what they’re really looking for is a job, but remember: the purpose of an informational interview is to gain information. You should only ask for an informational interview if you are genuinely seeking to expand your understanding of a field, and if you have questions that can only be answered by someone already working in the field. That last part is important — you don’t want to take up someone’s time with questions that you could have answered with a moderately thorough Google search. Informational interviews are for the inside scoop, the stuff that you can’t find out by reading company brochures. To see an example of how to request an informational interview, see page 57.
TOP 10 INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO ASK 1
Can you tell me about a typical day on the job?
2
How did you get started doing this type of work?
3
What is your favorite part about your job?
4
What is the most challenging part of your job?
5
What surprised you most when you started working in this field?
6
What educational preparation (degree, certifications, licenses) would I need to enter the field?
7
How do you see this industry developing in the future? How is this industry changing?
8
What advice would you give someone who wants to get started in this field?
9
What are employers typically looking for when hiring someone in this line of work?
10
Is there anyone else you would suggest I talk to about the field?
SPORTS REPORTER IN RESIDENCE
Bob Ryan
Famed Sportswriter for The Boston Globe; known as “the Quintessential American Sportswriter” SALES PROFESSIONAL IN RESIDENCE
Larry Quinn
Director of HPU’s Professional Selling Program; former National Sales Training Manager at Xerox; former Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Thomson Professional Publishing Group and Duplex Printing Corp.
Attend our “Exploring Careers Over the Holidays” workshop to set goals to conduct informational interviews while you’re at home. Find these events and others at www.highpoint.joinhandshake.com
STEP 3: GET CONNECTED | 29
STEP 3
INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWING
ONLY HPU STUDENTS LEARN FROM THESE GLOBAL LEADERS
INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWING
ONLY HPU STUDENTS LEARN FROM THESE GLOBAL LEADERS The industry titans who HPU attracts to campus to mentor students are featured on this page, but the list is always growing. Visit www.highpoint.edu/innovators to learn more. INNOVATOR IN RESIDENCE
Steve Wozniak
Apple Computer Co-Founder SPORTS EXECUTIVE IN RESIDENCE
Cynt Marshall
CEO of the Dallas Mavericks and former Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at AT&T CORPORATE EXECUTIVE IN RESIDENCE
Russell Weiner
Domino’s COO and President ENTREPRENEUR IN RESIDENCE
Marc Randolph
Netflix Co-Founder TALENT ACQUISITION EXPERT IN RESIDENCE
Dee Ann Turner
Former Vice President for Talent at Chick-Fil-A EXECUTIVE COACH IN RESIDENCE
Dr. John Maxwell
Bestselling Author and Internationally Renowned Leadership Expert ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
Dean Cain
Famed Actor, Producer, Television Presenter and Former Football Player JOURNALIST IN RESIDENCE
Byron Pitts
Co-Anchor of ABC News’ “Nightline” TRUST EXPERT IN RESIDENCE
David Horsager
Bestselling author and global authority on helping leaders and organizations become the most trusted in their industry
28 | HPU’S COMPREHENSIVE CAREER GUIDE
LEADERSHIP EXPERT IN RESIDENCE
Mark Sanborn
Leadership speaker and best-selling author, President of leadership development idea lab Sanborn & Associates CORPORATE EDUCATOR IN RESIDENCE
Scott McKain
Best-Selling Author, Business Consultant and Trainer ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
Ben Owen III
American Studio Potter GLOBAL LEADER IN RESIDENCE
William “Bill” E. Kennard
Current Chairman of AT&T’s Board of Directors, Former U.S. Ambassador and Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) BROADCASTER IN RESIDENCE
Joe Michaels
22-year Former Director of the NBC “TODAY” show GLOBAL ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
Karen Jacobsen
The “GPS Girl” and Australian voice of Siri
WHAT IS AN INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW? An informational interview is a preplanned, oneon-one conversation with someone who has a job you might like, works within an industry you might want to enter, or is employed by a specific company that interests you. These interviews are opportunities to learn things like the inside scoop on a particular company, what salaries are like, what a typical career path in the industry might look like, and so forth. ★ Important Note: Don’t Ask for a Job. Sometimes, students have the misconception that doing an informational interview is a way to get strangers interested in hiring you or giving you job leads. As a result, some people ask for informational interviews when what they’re really looking for is a job, but remember: the purpose of an informational interview is to gain information. You should only ask for an informational interview if you are genuinely seeking to expand your understanding of a field, and if you have questions that can only be answered by someone already working in the field. That last part is important — you don’t want to take up someone’s time with questions that you could have answered with a moderately thorough Google search. Informational interviews are for the inside scoop, the stuff that you can’t find out by reading company brochures. To see an example of how to request an informational interview, see page 57.
TOP 10 INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO ASK 1
Can you tell me about a typical day on the job?
2
How did you get started doing this type of work?
3
What is your favorite part about your job?
4
What is the most challenging part of your job?
5
What surprised you most when you started working in this field?
6
What educational preparation (degree, certifications, licenses) would I need to enter the field?
7
How do you see this industry developing in the future? How is this industry changing?
8
What advice would you give someone who wants to get started in this field?
9
What are employers typically looking for when hiring someone in this line of work?
10
Is there anyone else you would suggest I talk to about the field?
SPORTS REPORTER IN RESIDENCE
Bob Ryan
Famed Sportswriter for The Boston Globe; known as “the Quintessential American Sportswriter” SALES PROFESSIONAL IN RESIDENCE
Larry Quinn
Director of HPU’s Professional Selling Program; former National Sales Training Manager at Xerox; former Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Thomson Professional Publishing Group and Duplex Printing Corp.
Attend our “Exploring Careers Over the Holidays” workshop to set goals to conduct informational interviews while you’re at home. Find these events and others at www.highpoint.joinhandshake.com
INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWING | 2