Prepare for info interview season

 
 

Happy August! My wife recently said that August reminded her of Sunday mornings. You have the whole day (or month) ahead of you, but the end is in sight. In Boston, school starts after Labor Day, so we are trying to soak up as much summer as we can. 

At NRG, we are preparing a bunch of roles to go live after Labor Day which makes September informational interview season. Often, we think of informational interviews as gathering information from someone in a field or at an organization you want to learn more about. Informational interviews, or info interviews, can also be used to learn more about a specific position that is already advertised. So today, I have 6 tips for going into position-specific informational interviews. 

 
 

6 tips for info interviews:

  1. Review the job description and the organizational website. A lot of people skip this step. I recommend going through the job description line by line and thinking through all the qualities they are looking for and preparing a specific example of when you’ve done just that. 

  2. Do your homework on the person you are meeting with. I like it when people spend a little time learning about me before we chat. Perhaps it’s my ego at work, but I always like it when someone looks at my LinkedIn profile and researches where I worked. It all makes for a good first impression and a better conversation. 

  3. Know your audience. When doing an info interview it’s important to remember who you are talking to. You might have a bunch of questions about their culture or strategy, but if you are talking to a recruiter or someone who is at the associate level on the communications team, they might not know the answer. Ask questions you know the person on the phone can answer. Hot tip: use this time to find out exactly what skills and experiences the organization is looking for and then use that information to make the case for yourself in your application materials.

 

4. Ask about the process. If you’ve ever been ghosted before when applying for a job you know how sucky it can feel. Use your info interview to get your mind around the process and when you can expect to hear back. At NRG we are working to make sure we communicate the process upfront so candidates know what’s coming. Most of the time people at the organization will have a sense of the timeline and the steps. Get your mind around it in advance. 

5. Pitch yourself. In addition to using the time to find out more about the organization and the role, you want to impress whomever you are talking to.  There’s a trick to how much time you spend asking questions versus talking about yourself. However, make sure that you pitch yourself. In my experience, the conversation works best when 90% of the time is spent on questions and answers and 10% of the time is spent on you being impressive. Typically I like it when candidates do the pitching towards the end. You can say something like, “Based on what you’ve told me, I think I could be a great fit for this role.”  

6. Follow-up. Use all info interviews as a chance to expand your network. Send them a thank you note after the conversation and extend a LinkedIn invite. You could also send an additional follow-up “thinking of you” type email 4-6 weeks after your initial conversation. The goal is to stay top of mind. Also, sometimes the goal of an informational interview is for you to figure out if you even want to apply for this position. You may realize that this position isn’t right for you at this time. Be sure to follow-up regardless of whether you apply and continue to build the relationship because your conversation may lead to other opportunities in the future.

You might have noticed that preparing for an info interview is a lot like preparing for an interview. Remember that this is a way to expand your network regardless of the outcome and is a great way to practice pitching yourself.

this one is just for fun!

I’ve been hungry for new music this summer. I recently discovered Music League and everyone on team NRG is having a lot of fun with it. I thought it would be fun to open up the NRG Music League to readers of the Get Hired newsletter. 

Here’s how it works:

  1. Every four days there is a new category, e.g., Best Breakup Song, One Hit Wonders, Girrl Power, etc. 

  2. Add your song choice before the deadline. You must have a Spotify account.

  3. Then, Music League generates a playlist you can listen to on Spotify. Everyone votes for the best songs on the playlist. When you vote, you can’t see who nominated which song. It’s completely anonymous.

  4. After everyone votes, you can see who got the most votes and who nominated which song. Everyone gets new playlists in the process. If this sounds up your alley, join us. 

Our first category is: Summer. Choose a song that reminds you of summer. Does anyone else have the August Blues?

Our first deadline is: Monday, 8/14, at 5pm PDT

 
 
 
 

Check out all 32 of NRG’s searches. Fourteen of those positions are remote.

Opportunities NRG is hiring for:

opportunities nrg is hiring for in education:

In addition to this list, you can find more opportunities on the website. Follow NRG on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on all of the roles we are hiring for.

Happy August,

Naomi

P.S. If you want an accountability partner to help you manage your info interviews and build your network, sign up right now for 15 minutes with Kristin to learn how NRG’s coaching programs can help you. 

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Interview processJaclyn Jones