Informational Interviews, Part II: Setting Up an Informational Interview

By: Kandice Thorn

Last week's post, Informational Interviews, Part I: Myth Busting, debunked some common misconceptions about informational interviewing.  This week, we will discuss how to land an informational interview, including targeting people you would like to interview and setting up the interview.

Who should I approach for an informational interview?

Who you approach will depend on what information you are seeking.  Are you seeking to learn more about practice in a particular area of law (e.g., capital markets, intellectual property, etc.)?  Are you seeking to learn more about a particular practice setting (e.g., large or midsize firms, multinational corporations, etc.)?  Or are you looking for advice for how someone from your country can best market themselves for jobs in the U.S.?  Different people will be best suited to answer these various questions (or others you may have).

The first step is to identify the information you are seeking.  You may want to identify a few categories of information you wish to obtain through informational interviews.  Once you have identified the information you are seeking, you can start to look for people who may be able to answer those questions.

There are many ways to identify people to approach for an informational interview.  It is best if you can establish some kind of connection to the interviewer when you ask for the interview.  Here are a few ideas to help you find appropriate interviewees:

• Educational institution/country of origin in common.  You can begin by searching for people who attended the same institution(s) that you attended in your home country, then move on to people who attended other schools in your home country (especially if they also attended Fordham) and people who attended Fordham (as LL.M.s or J.D.s).  This search can be performed on Martindale-Hubbell (using the Advanced Search tool at the top of the page).  
• Prospects identified at "traditional" networking events.  In the last post, I mentioned that I would discuss how traditional networking and informational interviewing go hand in hand.  When I speak of "traditional" networking, I am referring to the types of events we usually think of when we hear the word networking: cocktail receptions, bar association events, alumni dinners, etc.  Even law student events could fall under this category.  These are places you can make connections, but they are also great places to identify potential connections for informational interviews.  A panel discussion may not afford you a good opportunity to speak with one of the panelists following the event, however you can note that person's name and affiliation and reach out to them later for an informational interview.  Or you might wish to build upon a short conversation you had with someone at a cocktail reception.  Ask for the person's business card and follow up later.  
• Other connections.  Former colleagues, friends of friends, family members and others can be a great source of connections for informational interviewing.  LinkedIn is an excellent resource for identifying such people, but you should also just begin talking to your friends and family about your goals and aspirations.  You may be surprised at who they know.
• Identify people with whom you have no connection.  A connection is important, but of course will do you no good if the people with whom you have a connection cannot answer the questions you wish to have answered.  If there are people you wish to reach out to with whom you have no connection through educational institutions or networking events, you should still not hesitate to reach out to them.  You may be surprised to find that people are happy to help.

How should I approach people?

You should approach people with respect and deference.  Remember that you are asking them to take time out of their presumably busy day to give you information.  While many people are happy to do this, they expect that the person asking will approach them in a professional manner.  Keep your email short and concise.

Email is the best way to reach out to a potential informational interviewee.  In your email, you should state clearly and concisely the following:

• Who you are
• What you want (state explicitly that you are writing to request an informational interview)
• Why you are writing to that particular person, including any connection you have to the contact
• What questions you hope the person will be able to help you answer

In order to make a good impression, be sure that your email correspondence is professional in tone and without grammatical, spelling, or other errors.  If they respond to your email, be sure to answer them promptly (within a day, preferably).  

Be sure that you are clear that you are not asking for a job interview.  Do not include your resume in the request unless the contact asks you to provide it.   

Do not be discouraged by a negative response (or no response at all).  If you do not receive a response, you may follow up once or twice.  If you still do not receive a response or if you receive a negative response, move on to the next person.  

Stay tuned for Part III next week, which will cover how to conduct an informational interview...

Also Read:
Informational Interviewing Part I
Informational Interviewing Part III
Informational Interviewing Part IV