💡 Key Takeaways

• Asking specific, role-focused informational interview questions uncovers day-to-day realities and hiring patterns: questions like "what did the last few hires have in common?" give you actual data — not one person's career story.
• Running an informational interview with a clear agenda and prepared questions signals respect for the other person's time: it also keeps the conversation focused on what YOU need to learn, not what they assume you want to hear.
• Following up with a specific thank-you and a request for introductions turns one conversation into a chain of referrals: this "spiraling" effect builds real career clarity faster than any job board can.

11 Informational Interview Tips That Actually Give You Career Clarity

An informational interview is a short, informal conversation — typically 20 to 30 minutes — where you learn directly from someone working in a role, company, or industry you're exploring. It is not a job interview. You're not asking for a position. You're gathering insider information that helps you make smarter career decisions.

The questions you ask in an informational interview are what separate a useful call from a wasted one. Most people show up unprepared, ask surface-level questions, and walk away with vague advice that doesn't help them make real decisions. That's not a networking win. That's a missed opportunity.

This guide breaks down 11 tips to help you run informational interviews that give you actual clarity on whether a path is right for you. Not fluffy "follow your passion" advice. Concrete, strategic moves you can use starting today.

What Is an Informational Interview?

An informational interview is a conversation — not a job interview — where you learn directly from someone working in a role, company, or industry you're curious about. The goal is to gather insider information you can't find on job descriptions or company websites — especially since most positions are filled before being posted publicly — so you can make smarter career decisions.

Here's what most people get wrong: they treat informational interviews like a casual coffee chat with no real agenda. Or worse, they treat it like a sneaky way to ask for a job. Neither works. The people who get the most out of these conversations are the ones who come prepared, ask specific questions, and actually use what they learn to make decisions.

Are you using informational interviews to gather real data, or just going through the motions?

Know Your Goals Before You Ask Any Questions

Before you schedule a call, get crystal clear on what you're trying to learn. You have two primary objectives:

• Understand the day-to-day reality: Paint a picture so clearly that you know exactly what it would look and feel like to walk in and do that job tomorrow. What fills the hours? What's tedious? What's energizing? You want the unglamorous truth, not the job description version.
• Understand the pathway in: Learn what's actually required to break into the role — hiring patterns, common backgrounds, skills that matter most, and what decision-makers look for when they're filling these positions.

Gather information first, then reflect afterwards. Only decide what's a fit after you fully understand both the day-to-day and the pathway in.

This order matters. Too many people try to evaluate fit BEFORE they have enough information. That's how you end up ruling out great options too early or chasing roles that look good on paper but feel wrong in practice.

How to Prepare the Right Informational Interview Questions

If you ask a broad question, you'll get a broad answer. Reflect deeply on what you truly need to know, then get concrete with how you phrase your questions.

Most people default to generic questions because they haven't done the pre-work of figuring out what they're actually confused about. That's the real prep. Sit with it. What do you genuinely not understand about this role or industry? Start there.

The Best Questions to Ask in an Informational Interview

Here are five questions that consistently produce the most useful answers — each one targets a specific gap in your understanding:

• To understand the day-to-day: "Walk me through what a typical week looks like in this role — what takes up most of your time?"
• To uncover what's not on the job description: "What surprised you most about this role after you started?"
• To learn the hiring patterns: "Of the last few people hired into this role, what backgrounds or skills did they have in common?"
• To assess fit: "What type of person thrives in this role versus struggles?"
• To identify pathways: "If someone wanted to break into this role in the next 6 to 12 months, what would you tell them to prioritize?"

Come in with specific questions every time — not vague curiosity. WOKEN's approach is to focus on role clarity first, then industry second. So your early calls should zero in on what the day-to-day actually looks like in that role, what skills matter most, and how people typically break in. Once you feel solid on the role, a second wave of calls can go deeper on industry.

Be honest about where you are in the process, but be specific about what you want to learn — that's what makes people actually want to help you.

And here's something people don't say enough: be honest about what you don't know. You're not there to impress them. You're there to learn. The more authentic your questions, the more useful the answers.

What's the ONE thing you're most confused about in your target role right now? That should be your first question.

How to Run the Conversation

This is your meeting. Own it. Here's how:

• Set the frame upfront: Start by mentioning you have an agenda and specific questions prepared. This signals it's your meeting — and they'll appreciate that you're using their time wisely. Oftentimes people think they know what you need, but really, you know what you need.
• Stay fluid: Have your questions ready, but if something interesting comes up, drill down into it. Use your prepared list when the conversation naturally pauses. The best informational interviews feel like real conversations, not scripted Q&As.
• Leverage their vantage point: Ask about adjacent roles, teams, or industries they've observed. Their exposure beyond their own role can be incredibly helpful. It's very possible that the right fit for you is someone who sits next to them or on an adjacent team.

One thing that often gets overlooked: take notes during or immediately after the call. You think you'll remember everything. You won't. And those details are what help you compare roles and make actual decisions later.

How are you currently tracking what you learn from these conversations?

Questions to Avoid in an Informational Interview

Not all questions are created equal. Some will actively steer you in the wrong direction. Here's what to skip and what to ask instead:

• Be careful with opinion questions: Asking "what do you like or not like about the role?" isn't automatically a bad question — but take their answer as one data point, not a verdict. What they hate, you might love. What excites them might not excite you at all.

The more useful move is to pair their perspective with your own reflection afterward: what's interesting to you about what they described? What's concerning? What surprised you? WOKEN's approach is to separate external perceptions — what a role seems like from the outside — from your own internal sense of fit. Their opinion can surface things worth thinking about. Just don't let it do your thinking for you.

• Avoid personal path stories: Don't ask "how did you get into this role?" — their path is likely an anomaly. Instead, ask about patterns: "How do people typically break into this role?" or "What did the last 3 hires have in common?" This gives you data you can actually use.
• Don't ask for a job: This is the fastest way to make the conversation feel transactional and shut down the relationship. If you've run a great informational interview, potential opportunities may surface naturally — but the moment you ask directly, you've changed the dynamic from learning to selling.

The goal is to gather enough real information — trends, patterns, hiring realities — so that when you reflect afterward, you're doing it with actual data, not assumptions. But that reflection piece matters too. What you learn externally has to meet your own sense of what fits: your interests, your energy, what you'd actually enjoy doing day to day. One without the other leaves you with an incomplete picture.

That being said, if a story naturally comes up during the conversation, don't shut it down. Just don't make it the centerpiece of your questions.

How to Follow Up After an Informational Interview

Your follow-up is where the real networking momentum builds:

• Send a thank-you email within 24 hours: Keep it brief and specific about what you found valuable. Don't send a generic "thanks for your time" message. Mention something concrete you learned — it shows you were actually listening.
• Ask for introductions: Now that they understand what you're exploring, they can make even better referrals to people in your target roles or industries. This is the part most people skip, and it's arguably the most valuable part — according to Novorésumé's networking statistics, referrals account for 40% of all hires despite being just 7% of applications.
• Follow the spiral: Each conversation leads to the next. This "spiraling" effect often leads you to paths that weren't even on your original list. Stay open-minded and follow the breadcrumbs.

Here's why this matters so much: one well-run informational interview typically leads to two or three more conversations. That's how you build real clarity — not from one call, but from a series of conversations that build on each other.

And that process? It often takes you somewhere you never would have found on a job board — The HR Digest reports that personal and professional connections outperform job boards by more than 4 to 1 in helping workers land roles.

What's one informational interview you could schedule this week?

Frequently Asked Questions

What questions should I ask at an informational interview? Ask questions that uncover the day-to-day reality of the role and the actual hiring patterns — for example: "Walk me through a typical week," "What surprised you most after you started?" and "What did the last few people hired into this role have in common?"

What are 5 good questions to ask in an informational interview? The five most useful questions are: what a typical week looks like, what surprised them after starting, what backgrounds the last few hires shared, what type of person thrives versus struggles in the role, and what someone should prioritize to break in within 6 to 12 months.

What should you not do in an informational interview? Don't ask for a job — it changes the dynamic from learning to selling and can shut down the relationship. Also avoid anchoring your questions on one person's career path ("how did you get into this?") since their trajectory is likely an anomaly. Instead, ask about patterns across multiple hires.

How long should an informational interview last? Aim for 20 to 30 minutes. Request this timeframe when you schedule the call — it's short enough to respect their schedule and long enough to cover your most important questions. If the conversation is going well and they're engaged, it's fine to go slightly longer, but always be mindful of the time you originally asked for.