Find a job with information interviews

The following tips are excerpted, with permission, from SuccessAbilities! 
1003 Practical Ways to Keep Up, Stand Out and Move Ahead at Work by Paula
Ancona, Chamisa Press, 1995, ISBN 1-886644-00-4. For information contact
Paula Ancona at 73537,3367 or call 1-800-WORKTIP.

	Two important parts of a successful job search are gathering information and
finding jobs that are not advertised (most never are). A super technique for
addressing both is the information interview. It's a brief, focused meeting
with someone who knows about a field that interests you. 
	The goals of an information interview are to:
1. Get details about an occupation or industry.
2. Determine if you have the right skills for that field
3. Learn about unadvertised jobs.
4. Do this while putting the other person at ease and not asking for a job.

---First, list everyone you know who could help you gather information  or
find knowledgeable contacts. Talk with your family, friends, neighbors,
church members, colleagues, doctors, hair stylist and insurance agent. Also
look for names of potential contacts in newspapers, magazines, trade journals
and alumni publications. Find companies in the industries that interest you
in the Thomas Register of American Manufacturers, in the public library's
reference section. Use your personal computer: Tap into online information
services like CompuServe, America Online or Prodigy that offer information on
employers, employment opportunities and related topics. Your eventual goal is
to find contacts in your industry with hiring authority.
---List the contacts you've learned about with phone numbers, occupations and
how you found out about them. Use a Rolodex, index card file, spiral
notebook, three-ring binder with alphabetized sections, contact management
software or electronic pocket organizer.
---By phone or in a letter ask contacts for a 15-30 minute meeting within a
specific week at their convenience. Mention how you got their names. Say that
you're interested in their field or company and ask if they would help you by
providing career information. Stress that you won't be asking for a job. 
---Start with contacts who are least important in your job search. Practice
with those interviews to build up your confidence.
---Before your meeting, use the library and your personal network to find out
as much as you can about that industry or company.
---Ask: How the person prepared for the job, the best and worst parts of the
job, average starting salary, how to become qualified for this line of work,
average work week, types of problems and decisions faced at work, the usual
career path in this field; and names of others you could talk with. Also ask
what need or challenge this organization faces; you might discover a new way
to apply your skills.
---If you're interested in more than an entry level position, ask how your
skills would transfer to that field or company. Would additional education be
helpful? How does this occupation differ from your previous job?
---If people are too busy or unwilling to meet with you look for ways to show
them how they could benefit from seeing you, writes Hal Gieseking. Plan to
write an article for a local or industry publication, then request an
interview with the person you want to meet. Conduct your own mini market
survey to find out how customers regard the company's products. Now call the
person you want to meet and say you'd like to share the results of your
survey.
---If you do learn of a job opening during the interview gather some details
about it and find out who to contact. Then go back to discussing the
occupation or industry in general. Set up another time to talk about the job
opening.
---Close by summarizing the specific details you have learned.
---After the meeting use your contact management system or notebook to record
what you've learned and what you need to follow up on.
---Follow up each interview with a thank you note.
---Look for ways to pay back your contacts, such as participating in a
fund-raiser their organization sponsors.

Resources: 
--The Career Coach, self-guided audio cassette program for job seekers,
Kuselias Enterprises, Inc., North Haven, CT, 1991, 800-BESTJOB, $39.95 +
shipping and handling.
--The Complete Job-Search Handbook, Howard Figler, Henry Holt, 1988.
--30 Days to a Good Job, Hal Gieseking and Paul Plawin, Simon & Schuster,
1994