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Hi everyone. Dr. Linda Manning here in Ottawa, Ontario with this week's episode of the OCISO
Career Mentorship Program Series on job search strategies for immigrants in the Canadian
workplace. We call this series Managing Your Career--On Purpose.
Last time we talked about the informational interview as an essential component of your
job search strategy research activities. It's all about gathering the information you need
to create a strategy for getting to your ideal job.
I'd like to welcome back Hedieh Azad, Mentor Recruiter and Liaison with the Career Mentorship
Program at OCISO. Hedieh supports and liaises with mentors who are matched with Internationally
Educated Professionals, by answering their questions on job search. She also has extensive
experience in social media and using social media for job search.
Welcome back, Hedieh. I know you're going to talk about how to do an informational interview,
including what kinds of questions to ask today. I know everyone is probably wondering just
that! When preparing the questions, what should the job seeker remember?
The one thing you want to remember is that the focus of the interview is the industry
(or the field), not the person you're talking to. You want them to share what they know
about their industry.
What should an informational meeting agenda and timeframe look like?
You don't have to provide a formal agenda to the person you're interviewing, but you
should write out a plan for yourself to work with. The informational interview should be
between 15 and 30 minutes, so write out a plan that makes the time frame work. It is
really important that you stick to the time frame.
For example, you can start by introducing yourself. Maybe give a card, and pronounce
your name very slowly and clearly so the person can understand how to pronounce your name.
--Thank the person: Thanks so much for giving me your time today. I promise to keep it to
30 minutes (with a smile).
--Restate the purpose: You could say I'm doing research as part of my job search strategy,
and I would like to get an understanding of what the industry trends are, what I need
to know about the job market, and any other information you think might be useful to me.
--Then describe your background, experience, skills, interests, and objective. For example
you could say my background is in ___ and in the past I've worked as ____. I know that
it may take some time to reach that same level here in Canada, but I am very interested in
working in my field in a job that closely matches my skills. The skills that are most
important for me to use are--and then you can start mentioning your skills.
--Let the person know what kind of research you have done so far, so the new information
will be added. For example: So far, I have done--so you mention the activities you've
done, and my conversation with you will help me to . . .(so what are you trying to achieve
out of the conversation?)
--Ask permission to ask questions you have prepared and take notes. For example, May
I ask you a few questions I've prepared, and is it okay if I take notes?
Then you could ask for suggestions for other areas to be explored. For example, you could
ask are there other things I should be looking at? I want to make sure my research is complete
before I start making applications for jobs.
Ask for referrals to other people in specific occupations and in the other areas suggested.
You could ask is there anyone you would recommend that I speak to?
--Ask permission to use your contact's name as a referral. May I use your name as a referral
when I contact them?
--Thank the person. Thank you so much for the great information and your advice. Arrange
to stay in touch with them and update them on your progress. Finally, don't forget to
send a thank you card.
Great. What kinds of questions should the job seeker ask in an informational meeting?
By the time you are ready for your informational interviews, you should have good idea of your
career objective or ideal job--what you are ultimately looking for. You should be ready
to take other jobs in your field as long as they match your skill set and help you strengthen
other skills that will get you closer to your ideal job. So you may ask questions like:
--What would you say are the top 3 most important skills in this industry?
--Where do you see this industry going in the future?
--Are there any changes in the skills needed in this field in recent years? What changes
do you see?
--I know the kind of work I want to do--but I don't necessarily know what job titles would
fit. Can you think of any particular job titles that might be a good fit?
--What professional publications in this field should I read? Are there professional societies
or associations I should consider joining? Are you a member? What has membership in these
groups given you?
--Given what I've told you about my background, what advice do you have for me?
--If I give you a draft copy of my resume, would you be willing to give me feedback on
it? I would really appreciate suggestions from someone with your experience.
--Thank you for the referral. Would it be possible for you to introduce us?
--Can I keep in contact with you in the future? I always like to let people know about the
progress I have made because of their influence.
One thing I need to mention is, don't start out the informational interview by giving
out your resume right away to the person.
Thank you Hedieh. These are great tips and I think what you've done is give people an
example of the types of questions they can ask, which I know for me would be extraordinarily
helpful.
This has been very useful information about how to manage the informational interview
overall. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us today. Before you go, what resources
would you recommend that newcomer job seekers turn to for more information about the questions
they can ask in an informational interview? We'll put the resources in the presentation
here and in the transcript so everyone can use them.
Sure Linda, here's the list.
Okay, we'll make sure we take care of that. Thank you again Hedieh. I appreciate your
sharing your knowledge and expertise as a mentor recruiter and liaison with OCISO. I
think job seekers will be much more confident about arranging an informational interview,
which is such an important part of a job search strategy in today's market.
Thank you very much, Linda. It's been a pleasure being here today.
And it's been great having you.
What you're looking at here on the screen is a list of the resources that Hedieh gave
us. We're putting them here on the screen and you'll see the web addresses in the transcript
below (and the description below the video) so you can copy them and use them to look
at these sites. These contain so many sample informational interview questions that I'm
sure you'll be able to find some that fit your needs for every informational interview
you ever have. There are just quite a few here.
Well folks, that brings us to the end of today's Job Search Strategy session. Remember to seek
out people who are working in your field and ask for an informational interview. Treat
it as seriously as you would a job interview, but remember that it is not a job interview.
Respect the person's time and what they can give you. Engage the person in a conversation
about what they know. Don't push your resume on them, and remember that the interview is
all about their knowledge of the industry--it is not about you and it is not about the person
you're meeting with. Be sure to follow up with a thank you card, and continue to stay
connected with them, especially to share successes that result from the interview! It'll help
them feel that they've contributed to your career in some way, even if it's in some small
way. And it will increase the chances of their doing this again in the future.
As always, I want you to continue this conversation in the comment section below. Share stories
of questions you have asked in informational interviews, how you kept the time limit, or
even what happened when the meeting ran longer than planned. Sometimes the person you're
interviewing will want the discussion to continue--but don't count on that. And if you have a question
you'd like to see answered in a future Job Search Strategy, put that in the comment section
too.
Thanks everyone! See you next time!