one had for the field,” Hundredmark says. “They made me realize how I would like to be as an attorney.”

· On the other hand, the career you thought always wanted may turn out to be wrong for you. Many jobseekers learn through informational interviews that the career's average salary, hours, working conditions, or opportunities for advancement are not what they imagined. “I actually thought of going into law,” says Stetson marketing senior Tammy Miller, “but I decided against it,” partly, Miller says, “from hearing an attorney's firsthand experience that they have such crazy hours that can be very stressful.”

· If you are unsure about which career path to follow, you can obtain the information you need to choose. Or you might narrow a wide field down to a specific niche. “Informational interviews helped me to learn more about what areas of accounting I may want to enter and those areas that I don't,” says Tina Markoff, a senior accounting major at Stetson.

· You can glean information you need to strategize entry into your chosen career. “This creative yet extremely simple tool gave me inside information that I could not have gained during a conventional interview,” says senior finance major Michelle Dass, who was offered job interviews by two of the employers she interviewed. “This vote of confidence is priceless to me now that I plan to buckle down and look for a job.”

· You gain access to information that not many other entry-level candidates will have. “You get a step ahead of others you will be competing with in the marketplace,” observes Samantha Nolan, a marketing specialist for UnitedHealthcare, Columbus , Ohio .

At a minimum, you can count each informational interviewee as a valuable member of your network. You can forge strong and memorable bonds with your interviewees, who become invested in your career, remember you, and are eager to hear about your progress.

“I still keep in touch with my contacts, which got me my first internship working for Convergys Corporation, one of the companies at which I conducted an informational interview,” says Ore-Tayo Funsho, a senior. Ellen Russell, career consultant at the MBNA Career Education Center at Georgetown University , Washington , DC, recalls a similar experience: “Before I graduated from grad school, I conducted several informational interviews at Chicago colleges.” After she landed a job at Georgetown , one of the Chicago schools called to strongly encourage her to apply. “If I hadn't already secured a job, I would have been on cloud nine!” Russell declares. “Informational interviews pay off.”

Working people are usually delighted to serve as informational interview subjects. “People love to talk about themselves, and most want to help,” says Marcia Merrill, career advisor at Loyola College , Baltimore , MD. “I always tell my students it's a win-win situation.”

Choose your interviewees carefully, though. It's often best to interview someone in a position similar to what you'll have right after college. “If you want to learn about what an entry-level associate will be doing on a day-to-day basis, talk with an entry-level person,” cautions Stephen Magennis, a benefits analyst for Hewitt Associates, Orlando. Magennis recalls that he mistakenly booked an interview with an eight-year veteran of one firm. “While it was nice to hear about how things had grown and what was in store for the future, the person could not accurately answer some of the more in-depth questions I had about day-to-day operations.”

Because the atmosphere of the informational interview is relatively relaxed compared to that of a job interview, you can bolster your confidence so that you exude self-assurance when you interview for a job opening. “Students who are quite shy to set up job interviews feel much more comfortable meeting under these circumstances,” observes Rachel Goodman, director of the career development center at Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield , Iowa . “One woman, for example, became more confident in her job

 

The above is an excerpt from The Last Job Search Guide You'll Ever Need: How to Find and Get the Job or Internship of Your Dreams, which is available for sale for $19.85 in our bookstore or $27.00 at Amazon.com but for free to those who subscriber to our free career newsletter. This hot new book contains job search secrets of the most experienced, most knowledgeable and most respected career experts. Learn career planning, job hunting tools and tactics, interviewing, cover letter and resume writing (lots of samples!), networking, and how to find an internship. Written by 149 career experts. To receive a free copy, subscribe to our free career newsletter.

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