Informational interviews: how to set them up and what to ask
A short conversation to learn about someone’s work is the easiest yes in networking, and it often turns into a referral on its own.
An informational interview is a short, low-stakes conversation where you learn about someone’s role, team or company. It is one of the most useful tools in a job search because it is easy to say yes to, it gives you inside knowledge, and it quietly turns you from a stranger into a known name.
What it is actually for
The point is not to ask for a job. The point is to understand a team well enough that, if a role appears, you already know what they need and someone there already knows you. Ask for a job and you create pressure. Ask to learn and you create a relationship.
How to ask for one
Keep the request small and specific. Name why you are asking this person in particular, and make the time commitment tiny.
Hi Priya. I am exploring product roles at early-stage fintechs and your path from analyst to PM is exactly the move I am trying to understand. Could I ask you 15 minutes about how you made that jump? Happy to work around your calendar.
Questions worth asking
- What does a genuinely useful person on your team do in their first ninety days?
- What is the hardest part of the job that the title does not tell you?
- How did you end up in this role, and what would you do differently?
- What is the team trying to get done this year?
- Who else would be worth talking to about this?
That last question is the quiet engine of the whole thing. Every conversation can hand you the next one.
How to close it well
Thank them, act on one thing they said, and stay in light contact. Do not end with a pitch for a referral. If the conversation went well and a role fits, the referral tends to be offered rather than asked for. Send a short thank-you the same day and a brief update a few weeks later.
Common questions
Should I mention I am job hunting?
You can be honest that you are exploring roles, but lead with learning, not asking. The moment it feels like a job request, the pressure goes up and the warmth goes down.
How long should it be?
Fifteen to twenty minutes. Asking for a short, defined slot makes it far easier to say yes to, and respecting it makes them glad they did.
What if they say no or ignore me?
Move on without resentment. Timing is everything and people are busy. One thoughtful ask to the right person beats ten generic ones.
Reach the people who do the hiring, before the job is posted.
Backchannel is a fourteen-day system for the direct, referral-led job search this article describes.