Informal coffee meetings can sometimes prove the most consequential of your career. But it’s easy to be deceived by the casualness of an invitation to grab a coffee and imagine these opportunities are less important than they can be. They aren’t actually job interviews or pitch meetings, but they’re more intentional than chance conversations at networking events.
You can begin with three questions:
– How’s your day going so far (temp check – are they chatty)
– How did you join your organization? (you don’t get to talk more than 2 mins)
– What are you working on right now (optional)
In this section, you need to ask questions that are flattering and fun to answer and you can use TIARA method in Q&A.TIARA is a proven systematic approach to build like ability with other people and your guide for the Q&A portion of any informational interview.
TIARA and Question Examples
T-Trends: Try to make trend questions specific to the company, industry or function for the person you are interviewing.
Example Questions:
– “What are the big things your company is thinking about?”
– “How are changing consumer trends affecting your company’s products?”
– “How is your company keeping pace with all the innovation in the Industry?”
– “How is your company leveraging technology like VR?
I-Insights: Insight questions slowly bring the interview down to a personal level. Ask your interviewee about their specific experiences, day-to-day work, and career pathway.
Example Questions:
– “What is the most challenging part of your job?”
– “What is the most rewarding project you’ve worked on so far?”
– “How did you manage your career switch?”
A-Advice: Asking for advice brings the conversation back to you.
Example Question:
– “What should I be doing right now to prepare myself for a career in this industry?
R-Resources: Ask for tools, blogs, websites, and other resources that the interviewee can recommend. This begins to close your conversation while giving you reasons to follow up with your interviewee later!
Example Questions:
– “What resources should I be looking at to learn more about this industry/function?”
– “What next steps would you recommend I take if I plan to pursue a career in this industry?”
A-Assignments: Asking “assignment” questions can give you another reason to follow up with your interviewee and show your dedication to the field.
Example Question:
– “What kinds of projects seem to add the most value to your organization? I’d like to see if I can start doing that kind of work in my classes at UMSI.”
– “What tools or skills does your team really value for new employees? I’d like to start working on those during my time at UMSI.”
You’ve completed your TIARA questions! Wrap up your informational interview by ensuring next steps:
Example: “I truly enjoyed our conversation today and you’ve given me a lot to think about. Would you mind if I reached out again if I have additional questions about the industry and specifically your company as I move forward?”
Be sure to send a follow-up thank you email and set up a recurring one-month reminder
What’s in monthly check-in?
–Thanks again
–Recap of advice given in previous conversation
–Summary of benefits derived from following that advice
–Request for further suggestions
Typically three outcomes of an informational interview:
-Advance: immediately or shortly after connects you to a hiring manager or asks for your resume to pass along themselves
-Hold: still responds to your follow-up messages, but doesn’t have any further helpful information. Focus your efforts elsewhere until it’s time to check-in again.
-Drop: stops responding to your follow-up messages. Start trying to find a new contact.