info interview

CFANS/ICP 3201 Career and Internship Preparation

Fall 2012

Informational Interview Assignment Your networking log and informational interview paper are due at 12pm to moodle on Dec 18th

Purpose:

To build your network

To learn more about a company and one person’s career path more in-depth

PART ONE: NETWORKING LOG

Identify six individuals that you will include in your network.

Strive for a variety of contacts (i.e. not all from one company or all people with the same job title)

Consider how each person could assist you in your career process

At least one of the individuals on your networking log must be a new contact obtained through LinkedIn (click

on “add to my network” and send them a message about why you want to connect)

At least one of the individuals on your networking log must be obtained through the GoldPASS employer

directory

For each individual fill out ALL the information, remember that in order for it to be a strong connection you must

have their contact information

PART TWO: INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW

Interview one person from you networking log. The person you interview cannot be a relative; this is an opportunity for you to gain perspective from someone in industry that you don’t have a personal relationship with. The purpose of the interview is to obtain career, company, and industry advice. You may ask your interviewee anything that you think would be helpful as you plan for the future. Before you arrive you should have about 10 questions prepared (you will need to include this in your paper). The only questions you need to ask are, Who else would you suggest I speak with to gain more information about this career? May I have your permission to use your name when I call or contact them? Some suggested questions to ask are:

1.) How did you choose this occupation?

2.) What do you like most and least about this occupation?

3.) What is the typical career path for someone in your field?

4.) What is your educational background and what experience did you have prior to this position?

5.) What is a typical week like for you?

6.) What skills or qualities are important for this occupation?

7.) What is the outlook like for this position?

8.) What are the best methods for searching for an internship or job in this field?

9.) What experiences would be valuable for me to do while in college if I am interested in this type of position?

10.) Are their internship opportunities available at this company?

11.) What advice would you give to a student preparing for this field?

12.) Can you tell me about one of the projects you are working on right now?


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13.) What training or education is needed for this type of position?

14.) Are their benefits of obtaining a masters degree in this field?

15.) What are the rewards and challenges of this career?

16.) What is the organizational culture like here?

17.) What additional training or qualifications are necessary for advancement in this field?

18.) What are the professional associations in this field?

19.) What are the growth areas of this field?

20.) What are entry level job titles and functions related to this field?

21.) What is the most important thing that someone planning to enter this career should know?

22.) If you were a college student again, what would you do differently to prepare you for this job?

Write a four-five page double-spaced paper that includes the following:

Interview Set up: o Who did you interview, how did you find them, how did you contact them? o Description of the interview setting. o List of the questions that you prepared ahead of time.

What you learned and found interesting about their career and company.

What did you learned about their career path and current job.

Your reaction to what you learned about this career, are you more or less excited about this type of position?

Your reaction to what you learned about this organization, is this a company you would be interested in working for? Why or why not?

Your plan for continuing to network. o Is there anything you would do differently next time? o Will you follow up with your interviewee, if so, why and when? o Who did they refer you to connect with, how do you plan to contact him/her? o Do you plan to do more informational interviews in the future, why or why not?

Include a copy of the thank you note you sent to your interviewee (type up and include as the last page of your paper or bcc me on the email you send them). Grading: 10pts-Networking Log 20 pts-Paper Content: Reflected on the questions you asked the interviewee, gave detailed answers to ALL the questions

outlined in the assignment that demonstrate you have reflected on your interview and what you learned from that

experience. Included the list of questions you asked the interviewee.

5 pts-Paper Style: Fluid academic paper with an introduction, body, and conclusion (not a Q&A write up). The paper was

articulate and professionally polished (i.e. evidence of proofreading and no spelling and grammatical errors).

5 pts- Copy of thank you note you sent to the person you interviewed. The note was professional and indicated what

was helpful about the interview.


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Name:_____________________________

Networking Log LINKEDIN CONTACT

Contact Name:_____________________________Organization:_______________________________

Contact Info (must include phone number, email, or address):

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How you found this contact on Linkedin:

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Information you’ll seek from this person:

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GOLDPASS EMPLOYER DIRECTORY CONTACT



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