After you have decided to conduct an information-gathering interview, your next step should be

Talent Management

Last Updated: March 25, 2020 | Read Time: 7 min

Interviews are typically broken down into these 5 stages of the interview process:

1. Introductions
2. Small Talk
3. Information Gathering
4. Question/Answer
5. Wrapping Up

Understanding the steps in the interview process will help your company standardize its interview process; leading to better, more qualified hires over the long term.

Why is this the case?

Standardizing your interview process helps interviewers and recruiters make fairer comparisons between candidates, as each candidate will be subjected to the same interview process.

Below is a more detailed breakdown of every stage in the interview process.

Stages of an Interview

#1) Introductions

One of the most important steps in the interview process just so happens to be the first.

The introduction is where both the candidate and the company will be making their first impression.

It may surprise some companies to learn that they too should be concerned about making a great first impression. With unemployment at an all-time low according to the US Department of Labor, the power lies in candidate’s hands. Because of this shift in power dynamic from an employer driven market to a candidate driven market, companies must make sure they put their best foot forward.

So how does one make a great first impression? The good news is that it’s not complicated: greet the candidate with a smile, shake their hand, and always remember to be courteous.

It’s a simple strategy, but it’s often all you need to do. When it comes to making a great first impression, present the company in a positive light. If your company is known to be a tough place to work, be honest, but not discouraging. Be as transparent as possible during the interview process. With so many resources (such as Glassdoor) at candidate’s fingertips, it easy to see if a company isn’t telling the whole truth when it comes to the inner workings and culture of their organization.

#2) Small Talk

After introductions are finished, it is a good idea conduct a bit of small talk with the candidate.

Small talk is important because it’s one of the best methods to foster a healthy working relationship and build rapport. When it comes to picking topics for this stage of the interview process, try to find something that the candidate is interested in. This can be as easy as taking a quick look at their LinkedIn or Facebook profiles and seeing what their interests are. It’s amazing how much of a difference it can make by taking just a few minutes to connect with a candidate on a personal level.

Do not attempt to talk about anything serious, like religion or politics, as the interview will likely turn into an awkward mess as a result. Not to mention the legal ramifications that come along with discussing these topics. Keep the discussion positive: remember, you’re just trying to gauge if the candidate will be a pleasant person to work with and help them to see themselves working at your company.

#3) Information Gathering

After small talk comes a bit of information gathering, or, in other words, asking the candidate to give you their elevator pitch. This is an important step because it showcases just how prepared or unprepared the candidate is and tests their ability to think on their feet.

While the candidate is giving you their elevator pitch, it’s important to pay close attention: is their speech organized? Is it concise? Does the candidate sound confident about their abilities and qualifications? What’s their body language like when they’re speaking?

These are all important items to keep track of, as they will often provide you with all you need to know about what kind of employee this candidate will be.

#4) Question/Answer

An interview is essentially a two-way exchange of ideas, and the candidate will be interviewing your company just as much as you will be interviewing them. Come up with some standardized questions that all of the interviewers ask the candidate. This helps in two ways: first, it makes sure there is at least some common ground between the different interviewers when it comes time to evaluate the candidate. And second, you will know how truthful (or well-rehearsed) the candidate is in their responses by seeing how much their answers change between interviewers. In addition to having questions prepared beforehand, it is useful to think about how you might answer a tough question from a candidate, as fumbling with your words during an interview will make your company look incompetent and dishonest. During this stage, if the candidate does have any tough questions about the company, it’s always a safe bet to be honest and to present the company in a positive light while still being truthful. Just like when you ask a candidate what their biggest weakness is and they spin it into a positive, you can also do this with questions about your company.

#5) Wrapping Up

Closing out an interview is just as important as the other stages. Just as having a great first impression is important, leaving the candidate feeling good about the company and its culture is key to hiring the top talent in your industry. At the very least, always end the interview with a handshake and thank the candidate for their time. It is also a good idea to give them a quick tour of the office if you didn’t do that when they first came in. Be sure to walk the candidate out. Not only does this ensure they don’t get their nose into anything they aren’t supposed to, it can be very frustrating and embarrassing as a candidate to have to mindlessly wander the office trying to remember where the exit is. Last but not least, send a follow up email. Whether you are interested in the candidate or not it is important to be courteous and thankful that somebody took time out of their day to interview at your company. Candidates can leave a bad review of the interview process on Glassdoor, so be sure everybody walks away from your interview process feeling respected.

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Benefits of Informational Interviewing
Six Steps of Informational Interviewing
Sample Questions for Informational Interviews
Career Center Video: Informational Interviewing for Career Exploration

The most current and specific information about a career field may not be available online. The most helpful information can come from people who are actually working in that field.

An informational interview is an informal conversation you can have with someone working in an area of interest to you. It is an effective research tool and is best done after preliminary online research. It is not a job interview, and the objective is not to find job openings.

You may feel awkward reaching out to people you don't know. However, most people actually enjoy taking a bit of time out of their day to reflect on their professional life and give advice to someone interested in their field.

Benefits of Informational Interviewing

• Get firsthand, relevant information about the realities of working within a particular field, industry or position.
• Find out about career paths you did not know existed.
• Get tips and insider knowledge about how to prepare for and land your first career position.
• Learn what it’s like to work at a specific organization.
• Initiate a professional relationship and expand your network of contacts in a specific career field; meet people who may forward job leads to you in the future.

Six Steps of Informational Interviewing

Research Career Fields

Identify people to interview

• Pursue your own contacts. People you already know, even if they aren't in fields of interest to you, can lead you to people who are. This includes family, friends, teaching assistants, professors and former employers.
• Identify Cal alumni to contact; they often take a special interest in "giving back" to Cal students. Utilize the Berkeley Career Network and LinkedIn to find them.
• Review the Book of Lists, a directory of leading employers in major urban areas, available at the Thomas J. Long Business Library.
   

Real-Life Example: Finding a Person to Interview
Lucy had become interested in marketing but wasn't sure how to find people in the field to talk to. She had worked as a clerk/typist in the payroll office of University Extension for several years.

She mentioned her career interest to her supervisor, who pointed out that Extension had a marketing department and that she'd be happy to introduce her to the director. This "right in your own back yard" referral led to a great informational interview and lots of other contacts.

Prepare for the interview

• Develop a brief introduction of yourself and your hopes for the meeting. 
• Plan open-ended questions to ask.

Initiate contact

• Contact the person by email or phone, or through LinkedIn.
• Mention how you got his or her name.
• Emphasize that you are looking for information, not a job.
• If you reach the person by phone, ask whether it’s a good time to talk for a few minutes.
• If the person is not available when you call, ask for a convenient time to have a 20-30 minute appointment.
• Be ready to ask questions on the spot if the person says it is a good time for him/her and that s/he won’t be readily available otherwise.

Conduct the informational interview

• Dress neatly and appropriately, as you would for a job interview.
• If meeting in person, arrive on time or a few minutes early.
• Bring your list of questions and take notes if you like.
• Restate that your objective is to get information and advice, not a job.
• Give a brief overview of yourself and your education and/or work background.
• Be prepared to direct the interview, but also let the conversation flow naturally and encourage the interviewee to do most of the talking.
• Respect the person's time. Limit the meeting to the agreed-upon timeframe.
• Ask the person if you may contact them again in the future with other questions.
• Ask for names of other people to meet so as to gain different perspectives.

Note: You can bring a resume, but don’t take it out right away or your interviewee may think you are actually fishing for a job. At some point you may wish to ask for input about it, but first establish a comfortable rapport with the person.

Follow-up

• Keep records. Write down what you learned, what more you'd like to know, and next steps you plan to take. 
• Send a thank-you note within 1-2 days to express your appreciation for the time and information given. Based on whether the informational interview was relatively informal or more businesslike, this may be a brief handwritten note, an email, or a business letter. See the sample thank you letter below.
• Keep in touch with the person, especially if you had a particularly nice interaction; let them know that you followed up on their advice and the outcome. This person could become an important part of your network.

Sample email thank you note:

Dear Mr. Watson,

Thank you for meeting with me today to talk about your work as the Ethnic Arts Center's Public Relations Director. I now have a much better understanding of the PR field, particularly within a large nonprofit arts organization. It was helpful to hear that an entry-level position often requires some experience in media relations. I have decided to take on those responsibilities for the annual fundraising event sponsored by my student organization. I have also contacted your colleague, Cindy Jones, at the East Asian Art Gallery to set up a meeting to speak with her.

I very much appreciate having had the opportunity to talk with you. Thank you again for your time and advice.

Sincerely,
Tamar Espinoza

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