Management Tip of the Day: What You Really Want from an Informational Interview

Are you having trouble viewing this email? If so, click here to see it in a web browser. HOME   |   TIPS   |   BLOGS   |   THE MAGAZINE   |   BOOKS   |   STORE RSS   |   Mobile JANUARY 8, 2013 What You Really Want from an Informational Interview Informational interviews help you explore career options and make connections by giving you a safe environment to ask pointed questions. But there's a risk: If you don't make a good first impression, you can torpedo the relationship. Find a balance by being upfront about the help you're asking for. You may not know exactly where you're headed, and that's OK. But you still need to come across in a way that inspires confidence and makes others want to help you. Create a brief positioning statement before you start to make inquiries. It doesn't have to be 100% clear, but it should give a general sense of what you want. If you aren't sure, or you're interested in more than one potential career, just be as specific as you can. Today's Management Tip was adapted from the HBR Guide to Getting the Right Job. Buy the book and learn how to find a career that fits » Share Today's Tip: FEATURED PRODUCT HBR Guide to Getting the Right Job Ebook Now Available Trying to figure out where you want your career to go — and get a job that'll take you there? That's no easy task in a fiercely competitive market. How do you clearly and convincingly define what you've got to offer to an organization? And how do you dig up realistic opportunities that match your skills and passions? Even if you've discovered exciting possibilities, you may face other obstacles: Perhaps you're finding it difficult to compete with more-seasoned professionals. Or maybe you're struggling to show a logical progression in your job history because you've hopped around. With challenges like these, it can be hard to get any job at all, let alone something that's satisfying, stable, and a good fit. But you can find and land the right job for you, even in a tough economy, with help from the experts in this guide. ADVERTISEMENT Follow the Tip: PREVIOUS TIPS Forget Self-Esteem. You Need Self-Compassion. Create Dramatic Tension to Persuade Your Audience Put Mundane Decisions on Autopilot Know the Impression Your Body Language Makes Proactively Manage Your Digital Reputation Help Your Team Mind Their Manners Make the Job More Like a Game Keep Your Network Active Don't Hurt Your Own Cause Spark Innovation with These 3 Words All Previous Tips BEST SELLERS HBR's 10 Must Reads: The Essentials HBR's 10 Must Reads Library Set Guide to Persuasive Presentations Guide to Better Business Writing Guide to Getting the Right Work Done Introducing Mobile ManageMentor Powered by the proven content of Harvard ManageMentor™ iTunes >> Android >> UNSUBSCRIBE   |   UPDATE YOUR PROFILE   |   MORE EMAIL NEWSLETTERS   |   PRIVACY POLICY Was this email forwarded to you? If so, sign up to start receiving your own copy. ABOUT THIS MAILING LIST You have received this message because you subscribed to the "Management Tip of the Day" email newsletter from Harvard Business Review. If at any point you wish to remove yourself from this list, change your email address, or sign up for other email newsletters and alerts, please visit the Harvard Business Review Email Newsletter Preference Center. OPT OUT If you do not wish to receive any email messages from Harvard Business Review, click here. ADVERTISE WITH HBR This enewsletter is read by thousands of decision makers every day. Learn more about connecting your brand with this audience. Copyright © 2013 Harvard Business School Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing | 60 Harvard Way | Boston, MA 02163 Customer Service: 800-545-7685 (+1-617-783-7600 outside the U.S. and Canada)