Cultivating Career Success
Networking and Informational Interviews
Classified ads will never hire you. Web sites will never hire you. Bulletin boards will never hire you. When you get your next job, it will be a person that hires you. A key strategy for getting hired includes getting to know more people who can hire you.
When carpenters build a house, the foundation – the structure that the house rests upon- is the first thing created. All your job search activities rest on your ability to
- Expand your personal network,
- Conduct informational interviews.
Objectives
Here is what you’ll be able to do when you have successfully completed this module:
- Describe an approach to job search that is grounded in self-knowledge, networking, and employer interests.
- Demonstrate use of networking skills for career advancement.
- Prepare for an informational interview.
Download this module.
Download the paper-saver version (2 pages on one sheet).
Additional Resources
Here are some additional articles related to personal networking and informational interviews.
- Networking Letters 101 from Monster.com.
- Warm Up to Cold Calling from Monster.com. A technique to use when you feel all of your networking leads have come to a dead end.
- Informational Interview Articles from About.com.
- Informational Interviewing Tutorial from Quintessential Careers.