{"id":4779,"date":"2014-02-03T11:25:56","date_gmt":"2014-02-03T16:25:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=4779"},"modified":"2018-08-09T16:41:02","modified_gmt":"2018-08-09T20:41:02","slug":"interviews-arent-just-for-jobs-enhance-your-professional-development-with-informational-interviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2014\/02\/03\/interviews-arent-just-for-jobs-enhance-your-professional-development-with-informational-interviews\/","title":{"rendered":"Interviews Aren\u2019t Just for Jobs: Enhance Your Professional Development with Informational Interviews"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Photo courtesy of Melanie Ford<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This last year, I\u2019ve made a significant effort to schedule informational interviews with people in my area of interest. In an informational interview, the student leads the show. It\u2019s an ideal opportunity to ask questions, make connections and build relationships. \u00a0I always look forward to these meetings because I learn something new each time, and they\u2019re an excellent networking opportunity.<\/p>\n

In my experiences, the biggest benefit of informational interviews is gaining input and advice from a direct source. Nothing is more fresh, honest and insightful than a discussion with someone who experiences the company or position day in and day out. There is only so much you can learn from reading brochures or scrolling through pages online.<\/p>\n

A recent informational interview helped me realize my career goal. I met with a professional in digital marketing at my dad\u2019s company; after hearing about her work, I knew exactly what I wanted to strive toward professionally. If we had not met and talked, I would still be unsure about what path in public relations to take.<\/p>\n

An added benefit is that informational interviews are low-pressure. They\u2019re an opportunity to discover and make connections rather than secure a job or internship. You can\u2014and should\u2014certainly inquire about job or internship opportunities, but I focus more on learning and finding a good fit for me and my goals. I always leave with an additional name and number to contact with further questions. It\u2019s a new relationship\u2014a building block for my public relations career.<\/p>\n

Even if you already know what direction you want to take, talking with someone can never hurt. Knowledge has no limits.<\/p>\n

If you find yourself interested in a position or company, don\u2019t be afraid to set up an informational interview. Feed your curiosity. Take the initiative to learn more about the position or company and about your own goals, too.<\/p>\n

For more on this topic, check out\u00a08 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts of Informational Interviews<\/a>\u00a0by Nick Lucido.<\/i><\/p>\n

What do you hope to take away from informational interviews? What is your best advice to someone seeking an informational interview?<\/b><\/p>\n

Kate Robertson is a senior public relations major at Virginia Tech. She plans to attend graduate school next fall and pursue a career in interactive media and digital public relations. Follow her <\/i>@kate3robertson<\/i><\/a> and visit her blog, <\/i>A Thought and a Half<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This last year, I\u2019ve made a significant effort to schedule informational interviews with people in my area of interest. In an informational interview, the student leads the show. It\u2019s an ideal opportunity to ask questions, make connections and build relationships. \u00a0I always look forward to these meetings because I learn something new each time, and they\u2019re an excellent networking opportunity. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":4780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2892,2894],"tags":[76,508,28,849,560,75,2217,15,40,755,762,730,422],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4779"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4779"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4779\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4789,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4779\/revisions\/4789"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}