Informational Career Conversations: An Invitation, 3 Questions and Next Steps

An informational career conversation helps you clarify a question about work before deciding on a next step. Choose what you need to understand, invite someone with relevant experience, prepare three questions and record how you will use the information. The invitation does not create a referral, application or hiring commitment.

Berkeley's career service describes informational interviewing as a way to explore a field, distinct from a job interview. This is US university career guidance, not a required stage in employers' selection processes.

Identify the decision that needs context

Replace “tell me about your career” with a specific question.

Your uncertainty	Useful context to seek	Possible decision afterwards
Does the role fit my interests?	An example of a recurring task	Read listings more precisely
What is an entry-level responsibility?	Who prepares, checks and decides	Distinguish support from expected autonomy
How can I explore this activity?	A relevant exercise or public resource	Try a practice task and reassess your interest

If you need to discuss an identified opening, make that purpose clear in your approach. Our employee referral guide covers referrals and applications. This exercise prepares a conversation to learn about the work itself.

Choose someone whose experience covers your question

It could be someone you studied with, worked with or met through a professional activity. Consider what they know directly. Someone performing the work may explain a task; a person in another field might only be able to suggest a resource.

Check public information before approaching them. Do not assume expertise from a profile's job title alone. A similar title might involve a different sector or scope. Our strategic networking guide addresses relationships over time; here, choose a specific reason to talk.

Make an invitation with a clear purpose and room to decline

Bruna and John's scenario is fictional and was created by FoxApply. It represents no customer, product outcome or photographed person. Bruna works in retail customer service and wants to understand administrative support in purchasing. John described his work at an open professional association event.

Bruna could write this if it accurately described her situation:

“Hello John. I attended the association event where you described purchasing support. I work in customer service and would like to understand request checking before considering a career change. Would you be available for a 15-minute phone conversation at a convenient time? I would like to ask about the day-to-day work, how responsibilities are divided and a practice task. No problem if you are unable to help.”

Fifteen minutes is a proposal for this example, not a mandatory standard. Wait for agreement before scheduling or sending calendar invitations. Confirm the duration, channel and time zone. If they decline or do not reply, avoid repeated demands or seeking a personal contact channel they have not offered for this purpose.

Prepare three questions that support a decision

MIT CAPD recommends defining goals, researching beforehand and preparing open-ended questions, then evaluating the information afterwards. Its guide serves a university community and offers preparation guidance rather than a universal script.

For Bruna's fictional objective, these three original questions serve different purposes:

Original question	What Bruna wants to clarify
“When a purchase request arrives incomplete, what information does the support team gather before passing it on?”	A specific task beyond the job title
“How is work divided between the person recording a request and the person authorizing the purchase?”	Preparation responsibility and decision boundaries
“What small exercise using invented data would help someone understand this workflow?”	A next action that needs no company records

Three questions are a starting point for this exercise. Choose yours according to what you need to learn, rather than completing a list for its own sake. Avoid questions already answered in the public material you reviewed.

Listen to the example and check your understanding

Start by restating the purpose and agreed time. Give a brief introduction explaining your interest and let the other person speak. If you hear an unfamiliar term, ask what it means before moving on.

Bruna could check: “I understand that in your team, support collects the description and quantity, while someone else authorizes the purchase. Is that right?” This keeps her interpretation separate from what the contact actually said.

Do not request supplier names, restricted figures or system access. If an answer cannot be shared, ask about the activity in general terms. Do not record or publish parts of the conversation without agreeing this with the person.

Close with a summary and thank them

When the agreed time ends, summarize the main learning and close. A useful conversation does not have to end with a request for another contact or a referral. If you want to ask something later, agree on that possibility.

An original thank-you note for this scenario could say:

“Thank you for speaking with me, John. I now understand the difference between checking a request and authorizing it more clearly. I will create a fictional checking exercise and compare the activity with the listings I am reading. I appreciate your time and explanations.”

Include only statements that match the discussion. Do not add a resume or referral request that was outside the agreement. If your objective changes, explain the new request separately.

Turn the account into a hypothesis and next action

Record what you heard as one person's experience, without assuming it describes the entire profession. This worksheet remains part of the fictional example:

Record	Bruna's example
What I heard	In John's team, support gathers information and another role authorizes the purchase
What I still do not know	Whether this division applies in other employers or at other role levels
Next action	Compare responsibilities in listings and create a fictional request to check
How I will review	See whether I can explain the required information and decisions still needing guidance

You may discover that the activity does not fit your direction. That also informs your decision. Our career transition guide helps place the learning in a wider change. Do not present the conversation as employment or completed training.

To keep your profile consistent with your introduction, explore FoxApply for help reviewing its wording. Check suggestions against your actual background. The tool does not schedule these conversations, send these invitations or turn a contact into a referral. Sources checked on November 3, 2026.