An informational interview is a short conversation with someone who already works in a role, company, or industry you want to understand. It is not a job interview, not a pitch, and not a disguised ask for an opening. Career offices and practitioner guides keep ranking for this query because candidates need a question bank and a way to ask without burning the relationship.
This page was reviewed on September 30, 2026.
TL;DR
- Prepare 8–12 questions; you will use fewer once the conversation starts.
- Cluster questions around path, day-to-day work, skills, culture, and industry direction.
- Ask for advice and referrals; do not ask for a job in the first meeting.
- Keep the ask to about 20–30 minutes and confirm the format in advance.
- Send a thank-you within 24 hours that references one specific insight you will apply.
What an informational interview is (and is not)
It is a research conversation. You are trying to learn how the work actually feels, which skills matter, how people enter the field, and which signals look strong from the inside. Yale SOM career guidance is blunt: even if you hope the relationship helps later, do not make getting a job the stated goal of this meeting.
It is not a substitute for a formal interview. If you later get a real loop, use questions to ask interviewer for that setting. Informational questions stay broader and more exploratory.
It is also not a free coaching session where you dump your resume and wait for feedback. Bring a short context line about yourself, then let them talk most of the time.
How to request an informational interview
A strong request has four parts: why this person, one line about you, a time-bounded ask, and an easy out.
Subject: 20 minutes on [role / transition]?
Hi [Name], I noticed [specific detail: path, post, project, company move].
I am exploring [role / industry] and would value your perspective.
Would you have 20 minutes for a call in the next two weeks?
If timing is tight, a written reply to one question also helps.
Thank you either way.
For LinkedIn wording patterns that stay concise, borrow structure from LinkedIn outreach message and how to message recruiters on LinkedIn. Recruiters are often the wrong first ask for pure career research; peers and individual contributors usually give cleaner day-to-day detail.
Who to ask first
| Contact type | Best for | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Alumni or warm intro | Higher reply rate, shared context | Over-relying on one school network |
| Peer in target role | Realistic day-to-day picture | May lack hiring-side perspective |
| Hiring manager (later) | How they evaluate candidates | Easy to sound like you want a job |
| Recruiter | Market and process overview | Less depth on craft and culture |
Start warm when you can. Cold outreach works when the reason you chose them is specific and the ask is small.
Question bank by theme (40+)
Pick from each cluster. Rewrite to match their background so the list does not sound copied.
Career path and decisions
- What path led you to this role, and what would you change about that path?
- What first made this field interesting, and what keeps you in it now?
- If you restarted today with my background, what would you do in the first 90 days?
- Which early experience mattered more than it looked on a resume?
- What decision looked risky then and looks obvious now?
- Who influenced your trajectory the most, and how did that relationship start?
- Which credentials actually helped, and which ones were noise?
- What would you tell someone who is considering a lateral move into this work?
Day-to-day reality
- What does a strong week look like for you?
- Which tasks take more time than outsiders expect?
- How much of your work is heads-down versus meetings and coordination?
- What tools do you use daily that rarely appear in job posts?
- How do priorities change when something breaks or a deadline moves?
- What parts of the job are still surprising after a year?
- How much travel, on-call, or customer time is normal here?
- What does work-life balance actually look like in busy seasons?
Skills, performance, and growth
- Which skills separate people who grow quickly from people who plateau?
- What skill did you underestimate when you started?
- If you hired an entry-level version of your role tomorrow, what would immediately disqualify someone?
- Which portfolio artifacts or work samples make you pay attention?
- How do strong performers ask for feedback here?
- What learning habits still pay off after the first year?
- Which soft skills matter more than the posting admits?
- Where do people commonly overinvest before they have enough real practice?
Company and culture (ask carefully)
- What is true about the culture that is hard to see from the outside?
- How are decisions made when engineering, product, and sales disagree?
- What kind of person thrives on this team, and who usually struggles?
- How transparent is leadership about roadmap changes and tradeoffs?
- What recognition looks like when someone does excellent quiet work?
- How does the team handle mistakes?
Industry direction and opportunity
- Where do you see this role heading in the next few years?
- Which trends are real, and which are marketing language?
- How should someone early in their career stay relevant without chasing every tool?
- Which adjacent roles are sensible pivots from this one?
- Are there associations, communities, or reading habits you recommend?
- How do openings typically surface in your network: referrals, boards, or direct outreach?
Closing questions that create momentum
- Who else should I speak with, and may I use your name when I reach out?
- Is there a question I should be asking that I have not asked yet?
- What is one resource you wish you had found earlier?
- If I send a short update in a month on what I tried, would that be welcome?
How to run the conversation
Confirm time, timezone, and medium the day before. Open with thanks, a 30-second context line, and the purpose: learning, not recruiting. Ask one prepared question, then follow the thread. Take notes on phrases they emphasize; those phrases often become keywords for resumes and outreach later.
Protect their time. If they offer more minutes, accept briefly. If they need to end early, close cleanly with the referral ask. Do not pivot into “are you hiring?” unless they invite that topic.
Afterward, send a thank-you within 24 hours. Reference one concrete insight and one action you will take. Keep the door open without demanding a second meeting.
Thanks again for the 20 minutes today.
Your point about [specific insight] changed how I am approaching [next step].
I am going to [action] this week.
If [referral name] is still a good person to contact, I will keep the note short.
Grateful for your time.
Illustrative 25-minute agenda
Illustrative example, not a conversion study: A career-changer exploring solutions engineering talks with a mid-level SE. Minutes 0–3: context and why this person. Minutes 3–12: path and day-to-day. Minutes 12–20: skills and what would disqualify an early hire. Minutes 20–25: industry direction and one referral. The seeker leaves with two skill priorities and a second conversation, not a job offer.
Mistakes that kill the relationship
- Asking for a job in the first message or first five minutes
- Showing up without having read their public work
- Treating the call like a checklist read-aloud
- Debating their advice mid-conversation
- Ghosting after they gave time
- Publishing private details from the chat without permission
Turn insights into a search system
After three conversations in the same role family, summarize recurring skills, tools, and entry paths. Update your resume language only where it is true. Adjust your outreach so every message references something you learned, not a generic compliment. Keep a simple tracker: contact, date, themes, referral, next action.
If the conversations reveal that the role is a poor fit, that is a successful informational interview. You saved months of misaligned applications.
Run it on Parlel
Use conversations to refine the skills and role language on your profile, then watch for matching openings while you keep networking.
profile.headline: exploring solutions engineering / customer-facing technical roles
profile.skills: sql, apis, demos, discovery notes
watch: companies in [target segment]
digest: new roles matching skills, posted last 14 days
fields: company, role, location_rule, why_fit
Digest shape: { company, role, location_rule, matched_skills, next_action }. Browse live roles on the job board and keep the profile aligned with what people in the field actually emphasize.
Keep reading
Frequently asked questions
How many informational interview questions should I prepare?
Prepare 8–12. You will ask fewer if the conversation goes deep. Having extras prevents awkward silence when a topic ends early.
Can I ask for a job in an informational interview?
Do not make that the purpose. If they volunteer openings or offer to refer you later, respond gratefully and follow their process. The Interview Guys and university guides treat a direct job ask as a trust breaker.
How long should an informational interview last?
Aim for 20–30 minutes unless they extend it. State the time box in the request so saying yes is easy.
What if they do not reply?
One polite bump after a week is reasonable. Then move on. Persistence is not the same as weekly reminders.
Should I bring my resume?
Have a one-page version ready if they ask. Do not force a resume review unless they invite it. The meeting is about their experience first.
How is this different from questions to ask in a job interview?
Informational questions explore a field and a person’s path. Formal interview questions probe fit for a specific opening and usually arrive after you are already a candidate.