Utilizing the Power of Informational Interviews - CareerAlley

Utilizing the Power of Informational Interviews - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. A lot of job applicants are far too reliant on the traditional but deceptive tactic of applying for jobs sendinginas many applications to as many companies as you can. A successful job search day is defined by the number of job applications you submit. Whatever that magical number might be is up to you 10? 20? 30? Thats a lot of job applications. This might come as a shock to some, but this method is inherently flawed. The reason? Everyone else is doing it. That means that for each job application, there could be as many as 250 applications next to yours. This also means theres a massively high likelihood that there are a large number of applicants that are probably more qualified, more available, and more competitive than you. Instead of fighting all week to raise your chances of getting hired from 1% to maybe 5%, lets just cut to the chase. Its time to try a different method. Informational Interviews You might have already heard of this term, but the vast majority of job applicants, especially those coming out of college, have no idea what this means. And therein lies the advantage your competition is largely minimized, leaving you with a farbetter chance of getting hired. Simply put, an informational interview is simply a meeting between 2 professionals where a certain industry, job, or field is discussed to provide a better idea about that certain industry, job, or field. Lets say you really want to become a screenwriter, but have no idea what it takes or even what an average day looks like you just know that you like screenwriting. Well, instead of applying to the top 40 screenwriting companies within a 25 mile radius, you schedule an informational interview with a professional screenwriter over lunch or coffee. Note: this is not a job interview; its an informational interview. This means that youre going to come prepared with a series of questions about the screenwriting field. A primary reason of this meeting is to find out more about the field in question. However, youll also be gaining an edge that you could otherwise not get anywhere else youll have gotten a professional connection in the industry youre interested in. Suddenly, youve jumped to one resume in a stack of hundred to a friend of the manager. (Note: have an online profile/landing page for yourself it makes you look more professional.Nick Gholkar, student and athlete, is a great example of this). If the interview goes well (remember: this is not a job interview), the business professional you met with just might refer you to someone else in the industry who might be able to help you more. The best case scenario (which actually happens more than you might think) is that they may even let you know about a job that is not listed anywhere else. Think of the size of your competition now you just went from 1 in 250 to 1 in maybe 3 or 4. Dont get stuck in the routine of relying on the job forums as your primary means of getting a job. While this method might work, and I encourage you to keep trying and build your resume, utilize the power of the informational interview. The benefits are endless youll get a better understanding of the industry, youll make a professional business connection, and you might even walk away with a job offer. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Joey Trebif