By Sheeva Azma

I’ve made a lot of career changes in my life – from being a pre-med engineering major, to studying and researching neuroscience, to now being a science communicator and policy consultant. I’ve learned that it’s true that who you know is more important than what you know (says a lot coming from an MIT grad, doesn’t it?).

Another thing I’ve learned: nobody tells you how to make career changes. You just end up doing them, either out of necessity or to follow your passions and be more happy (or some combination of both). Informational interviewing is key for career changes, especially in the policy world, but you don’t really ever learn about how to do them.

This guide was written for anyone with a science background, whether you have studied science in high school, college, graduate school, medical school, community college, or work in any job involving science or even STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) more generally. These fields do not typically teach networking as part of their science coursework, which is why learning about informational interviewing independently as a “science person” is crucial.

What is informational interviewing?

I wish someone would have told me how to do informational interviews, or why I needed to do them at all, early on in my career. Somewhere along the way, I learned about informational interviewing to help learn about different careers and support my career journey. So, by the time I got to Washington, DC, networking was a tool that I had used for quite a while.

Informational interviews are not long interviews — they’re short, targeted interviews that are meant to gain information. Most established professionals in a field don’t have a lot of time, so you’ll want to keep your informational interviews to no longer than 15-20 minutes.

You’ll learn everything you need to become an expert at informational interviews in this blog.

Before I get into the details of how to maximize your informational interview efforts, here are six best practices for informational interviewing that I previously wrote about. I also talked about informational interviewing for science policy in our August 2024 newsletter.

Scientists already do informational interviewing – a lot – without realizing it

In science, as well as the related fields of science journalism, science marketing, science communication, and science policy, it’s important to get an idea of the day-to-day activities of a job. That can be valuable in one’s career search to see if a field of work is a good fit for you. In science, we know this largely as the cold email to lab directors asking for research positions or if they are taking graduate students. I was told to reach out to people and make connections as a scientist, which I did often.

I continued this practice when I was looking for a policy job after graduating with my Master’s. I reached out to anyone working in fields in which I might be interested to ask them about their jobs and what they liked and did not like about it. This did not directly translate to a new job immediately, but over time, I learned a lot about the DC policy scene and landed an internship in Congress (largely thanks to an informational interview I did with a Senate staffer who was kind enough to share 15-30 minutes of their time with me).

Informational interviews indirectly (and sometimes directly) create job opportunities

Beyond being a way to network and gain insider knowledge about a job, you also build relationships with people in the field you are exploring (for example, science policy). This way, if they hear of a job that might fit your skills, they might be likely to send it your way. Though you may not immediately land a job via informational interviews, they can be a great way to improve your job search strategy to find opportunities in the long-run.

If you want to work in Congress, informational interviews can be a huge asset, since it’s the kind of place that you can only know about working in from talking to people who have worked there. The way Congress is portrayed in the news and the way it actually works in reality are two completely different things. 

For best results, make sure to be prepared to have a conversation that advances your career goals. This requires having an “elevator pitch” that talks about who you are and what your career goals are, and be prepared to ask questions. Introverts, don’t worry – your interviewee will likely be doing most of the talking.

Here are some more ways I came up with that informational interviewing helps you (there are a lot!):

• Connect with people
• Develop professional skills in listening and asking insightful questions
• Learn about people’s jobs – both in terms of the good and the not-so-great aspects
• Gain experience talking to successful people
• Learn successful people’s secrets from interacting with them one-on-one
• Learn stuff you wouldn’t know about unless you were in the field – this can be really useful for figuring out where you need to improve to get jobs in the field
• Figure out ways to advance in your current career
• Get advice on a career “pivot”
• Get a feel for what it’s like to work in that person’s job to see if it’s a path you want to take yourself
• Improve your interpersonal skills and gain networking experience (which can be useful if you do not have a lot of experience networking)
• Talk to people in a career path to see if they are the kind of people you might want to work with
• Meet cool, inspiring people doing amazing things!

What are some different ways I can use informational interviewing to advance my career?

These one-on-one interviews are a way for you to get more information about the field you’re interested in pursuing. Here are a few ways you can use informational interviewing:

• You can ask for feedback on your resume (I once did an informational interview in which we did a rapid-fire editing session of my journalism resume)
• Get suggestions of other people with whom you can connect and chat
• Learn about mailing lists you can subscribe to, to learn more about your field of interest
• Gain insight into events you can attend to further your knowledge and skills
• Ask about what skills you can work on to help you improve your chances of getting a job in the field
• Learn about job opportunities in the field

How to find people to interview

Look to the following sources to find people to talk to in informational interviews:

• Your informal network – People that you may vaguely know from a friend, family member, or colleague are known as “loose connections” and can be more useful for your career search than your friends, family members, or coworkers themselves.
• LinkedIn or other social media sites, such as X – if there’s a person you have been following for a while, you can send them a message asking to connect for a quick 15-minute chat. Many people are happy to share their time to help others.
• Websites that connect you with experts, such as Journalism Mentors or Digital Women Leaders in the journalism/marketing worlds
• Networking events and mentorship opportunities in professional or service organizations
• Google sleuthing – When all else fails, there’s always trusty Google to search for people who are doing the types of things you want to do.

If the thought of interviewing an expert feels daunting, that’s normal. I recommend doing one or two informational interviews with people who you find more approachable before moving on to more intimidating professionals. Having experience performing informational interviews makes a difference – as does preparing beforehand. I like to come up with a list of questions (in a Google doc or even in an email to myself) before the interview.

What to say when reaching out for informational interviews

My preferred method of reaching out for informational interviews is via what is known as “cold email,” which is when you email someone out of the blue. However, you could also reach out to someone via direct message on social media or, of course, approach them in person. 

Make sure to be strategic – by the time you send your cold email, you should have already done all of your research into the job the person has, what their role is, and so on. You should also have a clear idea of what you want out of the interview, whether it’s to connect and chat, learn about skills you may need to apply to a job, gain footing in a field, or even make more connections. 

You’ll learn a lot, not just from the informational interviewing itself, but from the process of researching, and performing the interviews.

Here are two email templates to help you figure out how to craft your message, however you choose to send it. These are short emails with a very clear ask.

Informational Interviewing Email Template #1: Networking to work in Congress

First is a template email for asking a Congressional staffer for an informational interview. This email helped me ultimately land an internship in Congress. For people reaching out to network with people working in Congress, remember to explain your regional ties to their office, as well as your specific interests relating to policy.

Here is the email I sent to Senator Warren’s office that helped me gain an informational interview, and eventually, helped me land an internship in Congress.

Remember to keep your email short and sweet and make your ask clear in a quick skim of the email. People who work in Congress are busy!

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Subject: Informational Interview

Hello,

I am writing because I am wondering if any of the staff of Sen. Warren’s office would be able to speak with me in a 15 minute informational phone interview about working on Capitol Hill.  I lived in MA for the greater part of a decade, as a student and graduate of MIT, and have strong ties to New England.  I am currently in the process of applying to policy jobs, particularly in the field of science & technology policy, after spending 10+ years in science research, so any information is greatly appreciated.  Thank you!

Best regards,

Sheeva Azma

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Informational Interviewing Email Template #2: Learning More about a Science Policy Fellowship

Here is a second email template that I used to learn more about the AAAS Science Policy Fellowship. You can use the below template and adapt it to any opportunity.

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Hello!

[Person and affiliation] recommended you to me as a person to talk to who is currently an AAAS Congressional Fellow. I have heard that it is very competitive. I interned on Capitol Hill last spring in the office of Rep. [Person] where I developed a love of the legislative branch.

Do you have some time to chat about the fellowship and what it entails? I’d really love to get an idea of what Congressional fellows do on a day to day basis.  I would also appreciate any advice on how to make my application more competitive.

Can we chat by phone in a 15 to 20 minute informational interview sometime in the next few weeks? I would really appreciate it.

Thanks and good luck with your fellowship!

Sheeva

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Questions to Ask in Your Informational Interview

So you contacted someone and they are happy to chat – what’s next? Well, you’ll need to come up with a short elevator pitch about yourself and what you’re hoping to get out of the interview, and also have some questions to ask them.

Here are a list of questions you can pull from in your interview prep. You can choose questions from this list or come up with your own.

Remember to be polite and to let the interviewee speak. Try not to interrupt them. Also, make sure to figure out a way to take notes or otherwise come up with action items for yourself after the conversation.

1. How did you get into [field of work]?
2. How have your educational and work backgrounds led you to this position? 
3. When and how did you decide to move to this field?
4. What are the specific responsibilities of your role?
5. What are some essential qualities, habits, or skills that are important for succeeding in your job?
6. What do you do in a typical day at your work?
7. What is your favorite thing about your job? Least favorite?
8. How have your work responsibilities changed since you started working at [employer]? What is the typical progression like from entry-level to more advanced roles?
9. Where do you think a person with my skills and experience could fit in in [field of work] or [employer]?
10. What background, skills, experience, or personal qualities does [employer] or [field] value? What educational degrees are required? 
11. What are some resources I can check out, whether websites, books, journals, professional organizations, or classes to take, that can help someone at my stage interested in your career path?
12. What skills and experiences do you think would help me most in a career in [field of work]?
13. How do you see [field of work] changing in the future?
14. What are the main obstacles to working in this field, from your point of view, as someone working in it?
15. How does one succeed in [field of work]?
16. Is there anything I have not asked you about that would be useful for me as someone seeking to [state your goal]?
17. Do you know anyone else that I could talk to about [field of work] or working with [employer]?

The answers to these questions can help you refine your career goals and figure out how you can use your skills and experience to work in a career that is right for you. Informational interviews are not a difficult process, but they require a lot of research – something scientists are good at!

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Scientists, don’t agonize — organize. Fancy Comma, LLC provides free resources for scientists interested in science communication and policy (as well as science marketing and journalism). We’ve written guides for scientists on campaign staff roles as well as Congressional staffer roles. Check out our science policy videos on our YouTube and subscribe to The Fancy Comma Blog and newsletter for insights delivered to your inbox.