Informational Interview Assignment

1

Informational Interview Assignment

What is an Informational Interview? An Informational Interview is an opportunity to learn and gain insights about a potential career path or field of interest. It provides the opportunity to explore your interests by connecting with a professional within the field you are considering deepening your knowledge about the industry/profession.

For this assignment, students will connect with a professional from their field of interest or career path they are considering pursuing. Students are expected to write a one page minimum up to a two-page maximum double-spaced essay discussing what they have learned and gained through the process of conducting an informational interview. Students will be expected to include all the essay questions listed below, the name of the individual interviewed, noting their position title, and the organization name in their essays.

Essay questions: 1. How did it feel to contact and interview a professional in your field of interest?

2. Based on your conversation, what educational credentials are typically required for entry into this career field? Does this educational path correspond with your current plan of study?

3. What aspects of this profession match your interests, skills, and values? What aspects do not match your preferences? If so, please explain. What did you like the most and least within this field of interest?

4. What internship/volunteer experience does this person recommend for preparing for this career field and how might you obtain that experience during your undergraduate work?

5. What are three takeaways that you took from conducting an informational interview? Did they share any advice that stood out to you from the conservation? If so, please explain why.

6. If you are still interested in this field, what will you do next to further your exploration/preparation for this field of interest/industry?

7. If you are no longer interested in this field as a result of your informational interview, what will you do next to continue your career exploration?

8. What are you plans to stay connected with the individual after conducting the informational interview?

2

Informational Interview Assignment

Consider the following tips to prepare and stand out in your informational interview: • • •

•

•

Start the informational interview by asking questions that provide an opportunity to build rapport with the individual.

Be ready to introduce yourself! This is an opportunity to share about your experiences, shortterm or long-term career goals. Practice your elevator speech to make a great first impression.

Prepare in advance by creating a list of questions before your informational interview. This will allow you to send the questions to the interviewee prior to the interview depending upon their preferences.

Consider asking the following question to expand your networks as you are conducting informational interviews, “Do you have any recommendations for individuals that it might be beneficial to speak with?”

Please reference the Informational Interview PDF for additional tips. Visit the Career Services Website to access the PDF document for your reference.

Inform a tiona l Int erview ( 15p t s)

R ub ri c

3

Informational Interview Rubric (15 pts)

CRITERIA Connecting Your Learning and Interview Experience

SCORE: 6 5 4 Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation

SCORE 3 2 1 Essay Question Content

SCORE: 6

5

4

EXCELLENT -Describes significant in-depth details and thoughtful insights from the interview.

-Demonstrates a clear understanding of the learning experiences they have gained from the interview

AVERAGE -Includes to some degree minimal details and/or lacks adequate detail describing insights from the interview -Provides slight connections or somewhat articulate their described experiences and/or somewhat connect the learning experiences they have gained from the interview

UNACCEPTABLE -Does not include any relevant thoughtful details and/or provides vague insights from the interview -Does not clearly connect the described experiences and/or any learning that might have taken place from the interview

-Error-free spelling -Error-free punctuation -Grammar is appropriate -Uses a professional tone throughout the essay -Essay content is relevant and appropriate to the topic

-Contains minor errors (grammar, punctuation, and/or spelling) -Essay content uses a professional tone to some degree but may be inconsistent throughout essay -Essay content to some degree is relevant and appropriate to the topic but may be inconsistent throughout essay

-Multiple spelling, grammar and/or punctuation errors -Does not use a professional tone throughout the essay -Essay content is irrelevant and/or vaguely relevant and inappropriate to the topic

-Content shows a thorough understanding of the interview by including and/or answering the essay question with indepth responses

-Content shows a minimal/moderate understanding of the interview by including and/or partially answering some of the essay questions

-Content shows no effort of a thoughtful understanding of the interview by not answering any and/or vaguely answering the essay questions