Part One ? ?About Informational Interview
> From Wikipedia
An Informational Interview (also known as an Informational conversation) is a meeting in which a potential job seeker seeks advice on their career, the industry, and the corporate culture of a potential future workplace; while an employed professional learns about the job seeker and judges their professional potential and fit to the corporate culture, so building their candidate pool for future hires.?
In an informational interview, job seekers can be unemployed, or else employed and considering new options. They use the interview to gather information on the field and on specific companies where they might want to work. They can find employment leads, and expand their professional network. The employed professional from whom the potential candidate seeks advice and information also learns about a new potential colleague or hire and builds their own network through the conversation.
This differs from a job interview because the conversation is not about hiring and not about a specific job. The potential candidate asks general questions about the nature of the company or the industry, and the "insider" learns about the potential candidate's professional character at the same time. The information interview helps overcome a problem with most discussions in a recruiting/job-seeking process, where each side is hesitant to talk to the other because they are uncertain about whether they might be wasting their time with an unqualified candidate or unsuitable workplace.?
> From?http://blog.sina.com.cn/
(Abridged)
1.為什么要做informational interview?
最簡單直接的就是為了有 referral幫助自己pass 簡歷篩選的第一關(guān)，并且提供內(nèi)部信息哎壳，為后面的面試做準(zhǔn)備。
informatioanl interview可以說是了解一個(gè)行業(yè)，公司，特定職位甚至被采訪者career path的最好途徑刁赖，顧名思義揍拆，informatioanl interview的第一個(gè)詞語是’information’, 也就是說了解到越多信息越好，而且是越多網(wǎng)上看不到的信息越好丙躏，所以要求之前做好功課，準(zhǔn)備的問題as specific as possible; informatioanl interview的第二個(gè)詞語是’interview’, inter-這個(gè)前綴說明了這是一個(gè)two way communication, 不僅是你在尋求信息束凑，對方也在觀察你晒旅，這也是自我展示的一個(gè)過程。不要以為這就是大家casual的聊天汪诉，要拿出自己最職業(yè)的一面废恋，和相應(yīng)得展示自己的認(rèn)真負(fù)責(zé)的態(tài)度和精神，如果你穿著簡單的牛仔褲沒有梳頭就這么簡簡單單得去了扒寄，那除非你面試的是IT公司或者start up, 否則肯定是悲劇的開始鱼鼓。
除了這些，我個(gè)人還覺得informatioanl interview也是了解你跟這個(gè)潛在工作機(jī)會是否合拍的最好方式该编。掌握了足夠多的關(guān)于職業(yè)的信息的基礎(chǔ)上迄本，你還可以觀察下被采訪者的氣質(zhì)氣場性格等等，公司的文化和特定職位的工作性質(zhì)會潛移默化得影響著做這個(gè)工作的人的性格课竣， 最典型的例子就是要求穿suit的banking/consulting和著裝比較隨意的IT, 或者要求踏實(shí)的R&D工作人員和擅長溝通的Sales嘉赎。如果你覺得自己跟被采訪者的氣場相距甚遠(yuǎn)，那么要么你不適合這個(gè)職位稠氮，要么你不適合這個(gè)公司曹阔，就算拿到了工作機(jī)會，以后的工作也不會開心隔披。
2. 怎樣做informatioanl interview赃份？
這里可以分成好幾個(gè)小問題，下面一一講來：
2.1 怎樣找到做informatioanl interview的potential candidate?
除了career fair上你收集到的名片奢米，比較有效的就是學(xué)校的alumni database和linkedin, 芝大的database可以按照學(xué)系和學(xué)院搜索抓韩，信息也很全面，但缺點(diǎn)是很多alumni的郵箱還是@uchicago.edu, 這時(shí)就需要大家去linkedin上面搜索校友的名字和新的聯(lián)系方式啦鬓长。linkedin有一種premium membership, 會保證每個(gè)月你發(fā)的InMail有足夠的回復(fù)谒拴，而且學(xué)生有discount, 我個(gè)人在找工作的最后階段用過2個(gè)月，感覺還算物有所值吧涉波。
2.2 如何發(fā)出request?
最常見就是寫郵件和cold call兩種方式英上，這里不是很推薦cold call, 畢竟比較突兀炭序，一部分人也會覺得不禮貌。郵件的寫法應(yīng)該google上也會有苍日，先是介紹一下自己是如何得知被采訪人的聯(lián)系方式惭聂，然后介紹一下自己，這里可以寫出自己的亮點(diǎn)相恃，比如GPA很高的話辜纲，或者以前的相關(guān)實(shí)習(xí)／工作經(jīng)驗(yàn)。最后就是希望能有機(jī)會informational interview, 這里有個(gè)小技巧拦耐，比如你可以寫would u prefer coffee near your office or a phone conversation, please? 這里看似你給了他選擇耕腾，實(shí)際你沒有給他拒絕你的機(jī)會（這一招對于追妹子時(shí)候約妹子出來同樣管用）當(dāng)然最后要留下自己的聯(lián)系方式和表示感謝。
寫郵件其實(shí)最難的部分應(yīng)該是題目杀糯，在對方不認(rèn)識你的時(shí)候扫俺，他看到一封陌生郵件第一眼看到的就是題目，所以郵件的題目一定要勾起他的興趣火脉，如果有介紹人牵舵，一定要把介紹人的名字寫出來柒啤，如果是校友倦挂，可以寫上學(xué)校的名字。
發(fā)郵件的大忌是直接詢問工作機(jī)會担巩，要記住你只是想了解職業(yè)信息的方援，以免給對方太大壓力而把對方嚇跑。
我們中國人寫英文郵件常常給人感覺不是很禮貌涛癌，記得以前在網(wǎng)上看到過一篇指導(dǎo)英文禮貌寫法的文章犯戏，有興趣的同學(xué)可以搜索看看。那么我個(gè)人的經(jīng)驗(yàn)是拳话，第一先匪，多用詢問婉轉(zhuǎn)的語氣和詞語，比如could I have this opportunity? would you mind… 弃衍；第二呀非，please這個(gè)詞要放在一句話的最后面而不是最前面，大家可以體會一下下面這兩句的感覺： please meet me at 10am (命令的語氣）和meet me at 10am, please (懇求的語氣）镜盯；第三岸裙，盡量少用第一人稱’I’, 避免給人留下主觀和自我的印象。
Part Two ? ?Composition
Dear Mr. Smith,
I found your email address by my college best friend Sarah Jones. I am an architect graduated from OSU, have been working in P Company since 2012. Due to the fact that my family has prepared for moving ?to New York, I want to find a new job there.?
Could I have this opportunity to talk with you? Would you prefer coffee near your office or a phone call, please?
Thank you very much in advance for your time and insight.
Sincerely,
Sophie Allen
