4 Tips for Building Relationships Through Informational Interviews

Informational interviews are treasure troves of information. What you collect from these types of networking meetings—in which you build relationships with people at the organizations you want to join—can provide you with insights that can help you improve your resume, cover letters, and interview answers. Sometimes, they can even grant you access to job opportunities that aren’t posted. And, most important, they can help you build relationships that lead to job referrals in the short term and support throughout your career in the long term.

Of course, the way to unlock the treasure of informational interviews is through outreach. Although many jobseekers struggle with the idea of sending emails to strangers asking them if they have time to chat, the bottom line is only those who take this step—and manage follow-up communications well—will reap the full benefits of these types of meetings.

Here are four tips that will help you land informational interviews and take full advantage of them.