The Career Bite: Interview 20 People
You’re willing to work hard, you want to add value, but you also want to enjoy your work and be inspired. Right now, you probably have no idea how to do that. The key is to interview people. If you followed Our last two Career Bites: Be a Long Term Visionary and Be a Short Term Pragmatist, you have a great framework for making confident career choices that advance you towards your long term objectives. If you followed Career Bite 1, you’ve started considering your preferences, so you can also target the right work environments, team dynamics, and corporate values that suit your character.
But all of that will just arm you with the right questions, it won’t give you insight into which jobs actually align with your needs and preferences.
Internet research is always the best place to start, but it’s not enough to get the full inside scoop on the options available to you. Enter the Informational Interview. Talk to people (at least 20!) and find out what their jobs are actually like. Target people in fields that interest you, and ask what they do on a daily basis, what impact they see from their efforts, and how they are evaluated at the company.
For more guidance on Informational Interviews, check out our complete guide to doing a great one. And keep in touch with the people you meet. They just might help you get a job one day!
More to chew on
To make sure you ask the best possible questions, get all the information you need, make a great impression, and build relationships in the process, be sure to start with your vision and your short term plan. Then don't forget to follow our Awesome Informational Interview guidelines and download a sample script template!