Have you ever made what you thought was a pretty good decision, only to find out later that if you had just consulted other people, you could have made a better choice? That's what informational interviews -- or fact-finding missions as I call them -- are all about. They're a chance to get input from reliable sources that can help you figure out where you want to head in your career.

What they are

A fact-finding mission can be a face-to-face meeting, a telephone appointment or an exchange of emails. It is basically any interaction in which you gather information about a career field that you're considering pursuing or about an organization that you might like to work for. The facts that you gather about the nature of the work, typical salaries, qualifications required and employment outlook for that field or organization can help you make decisions about your career.

Never make a career decision based on what you learn from just one informational interview. Ideally, you should conduct several informational interviews in each career field you're considering before making a final decision.

Fact-finding missions can also help you plan a strategy for breaking into a field you've already decided on. Asking your interviewees how they got their jobs and how their careers have developed can help you design an effective job search strategy. And, while informational interviews are not job interviews, they are a chance to establish valuable contacts that can lead you to jobs down the road.

But if you've never gone on an informational interview (or if you are arranging one with someone you don't know very well), there are certain steps you need to take to make the most of the meeting.

6 Steps to an Informational Interview

1. Find someone to talk to. There is a lot of goodwill out there so ask everyone you know if they know people who do the sort of work you're thinking of going into. You might also find people willing to give advice by subscribing to an Internet newsgroup relevant to your target career field or industry. You can search for the right newsgroup (a.k.a. mailing list or Listserv™) at http://www.dejanews.com.

2. Arrange the meeting. Depending on how well you know the person, or the circumstances by which you got his or her name, write or call to request an appointment. Make it clear that you are not asking for a job but instead are at the career decision-making stage or are planning a job search strategy and need some advice and information. Be respectful of the other person's time and make it easy to get together by being flexible with your own schedule. Try to get a face-to-face meeting if you can, but be willing to accept a phone appointment if the other person just doesn't have time to meet with you. Ask for 30 minutes, unless you know that you only have a few specific questions that can be answered in less time.

3. Do your homework. An informational interview is not the place to ask about the basics of a career field. You don't just waltz in and say, "I'm thinking of going into advertising, could you tell me about it?" You have to read about the career field in question and research the organization where the interviewee works, so that you'll have more focused, intelligent questions to ask and won't waste each other's time.

4. Prepare yourself. If you have a resume, bring a few copies with you, even though an informational interview is not an employment interview. The resume will help give an overview of your background and may stir up some interest in you if you do decide to pursue jobs in that field or with that company. Also, just in case you do end up wanting to work in the field you're investigating, be prepared to sell yourself a bit. That simply means projecting an air of confidence and being able to articulate the skills, aptitudes and personality characteristics that would make you an asset to that organization or that profession.

5. Know which information you need. Make a list of the key areas in which you need to gather facts. Have you been unable to find any information in your reading about typical salary ranges or career paths for that field? Wherever the gaps are in your knowledge of a particular career option, that's where you need to focus your attention during the fact-finding mission. Be sure to take your list with you because, unlike in an actual employment interview, it is acceptable to take notes in with you and to make notes during an informational interview.

6. Know what to expect and have an agenda. To be sure you make the most of the appointment and don't waste your own or the other person's time, have an agenda for the informational interview and try to stick to that plan. After all, you're the one who called the meeting.

Once the informational interview is over, remember that the person you've met with has become a member of your professional network (or maybe already was) and is someone you should keep in touch with. You have begun a relationship that should be nurtured, not treated as a flash-in-the-pan contact. Be sure to follow up immediately with a thank-you letter, or, at minimum, with a thank-you call or email. Then, try to stay in touch, giving the person updates on your career plans, even if you end up pursuing a different field.

Portions of this article were excerpted from the book Networking for Everyone: Connecting with People for Career and Job Success, © 1998 by L. Michelle Tullier, published by JIST Works, Inc., Indianapolis, IN, (800) 648 5478.