Ask the right questions during an informational interview, and you’ll receive valuable information on potential employers or careers (with the occasional benefit of cultivating a future career ally). But asking the wrong questions will often produce nothing but regret for the time wasted. So what, exactly, are the best and worst kinds of questions to ask?
The best questions are those that convey interest in the professional’s background, including how they got started in the industry, what their earlier roles included, what their background at their current employer includes, why they like what they do and who they work for, what advice they would offer to someone looking to break into their industry or position, and what they would do differently (if anything), if they could go back.
The worst questions would be anything that directly comes out and asks for help submitting a resume or securing an interview. Stay focused on what he/she agreed to do for you, which is to provide you with information about the industry or position. He/she did not agree to internally submit your resume or go to bat for you for an interview. If you have a successful informational interview though, and the professional thinks he/she may be able to help, my experience is that the conversation will often end with “Send me your resume. I’ll see what I can do.” But that can’t be forced upon the professional.
My advice is to just go in excited to learn about his/her background and what he/she does in their current role. Be polite, do not talk over him/her, and show genuine enthusiasm for the field. If the connection’s there, he/she may ask for your resume. Being prepared with the right kinds of questions for your informational interview will help both of you feel that your time has been well spent.
Thank you for the advice about questions to ask and not to ask in an informative interview. I think your advise also applies when we are meeting somebody for the first time: Ask questions to show genuine interest, be polite and do not ask for favours.
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