expand your toolkit
Explore this growing collection of self-guided tools to aid your career exploration activities.
Tool 1. Informational Interviewing
Informational interview questions serve up candid insight from knowledgeable, experienced workers.
The process and outcomes of informational interviews are completely different from traditional job interviews. In this scenario, you will put the spotlight on the professional by interviewing them via phone, in person, or web conference. The purpose of the interview is purely information gathering--you are not asking for a job or being considered for one.
Explore these conversation-building questions:
Informational interview questions serve up candid insight from knowledgeable, experienced workers.
The process and outcomes of informational interviews are completely different from traditional job interviews. In this scenario, you will put the spotlight on the professional by interviewing them via phone, in person, or web conference. The purpose of the interview is purely information gathering--you are not asking for a job or being considered for one.
- Call or email a respected professional to request 20-30 minutes of their time for an informational interview. Introduce yourself and let them know you want to learn more about working in their career field.
- Prior to your interview, research the professional's job role, business, and industry so you can tailor your questions accordingly.
- On the day of your appointment, arrive early, dress professionally, and make the most of your time together by being fully prepared with your questions in advance.
- During the interview, use your question list as a guide. Stay on topic and ask follow-up questions as the conversation allows. Be mindful of your allotted time and try to wrap up 5 minutes early.
- At the conclusion of your meeting, you will have established contact with a professional who will be invested in your growth as you explore future job opportunities.
- Maintain professionalism and always follow-up with a timely "thank you" note via email or mail for the generous time they shared with you.
- Pro Tip: To maintain your new networking contact over time, keep in touch with them periodically through the year to let them know how your career exploration is progressing.
Explore these conversation-building questions:
- If you had to summarize your role in terms easy enough for a 3rd grader to understand what it is that you do, what would you say?
- What types of projects are typical for a work week?
- What do you enjoy most about your work?
- What's the most challenging, and how do you cope with that?
- Tell me about your journey to this company and position.
- How have you advanced in within your organization?
- What are your plans for the next step in your career?
- How important are professional associations/affiliations to this role?
- What skills are most important to performing your job well?
- How do you keep up to date on the latest skills needed for this type of work?
- Have you seen a lot of change in your industry in the past 5 years? How has your role changed because of this?
- What changes do you anticipate in your industry in the next 10 years?
- If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to the younger version of yourself with regards to the position that you hold today?
- Does this job typically require that you work 40 hours every week? Are there certain times of the year when you have to work longer hours during the week?
- Are you able to maintain a good work/life balance with your work schedule?
- What are some of the activities you enjoy to de-stress?
- Do you have an opportunity to work with other departments on projects? If so, what skills are important for cross-functional projects?
- Imagine that you were invited to give a motivational commencement speech to a room full of graduating seniors who would all work in your role. What would be the title of your speech?
- Could you share any advice about working in general that's important to remember?
Tool 3. My Skills My Future
Explore occupations with similar skills to your current or past job with this quick tool
Explore occupations with similar skills to your current or past job with this quick tool
Tool 4. Career Cluster Match
Learn about clusters of careers / occupations. (Helpful tip: the first page initially loads slowly, but after it's populated, it moves quickly.)
Learn about clusters of careers / occupations. (Helpful tip: the first page initially loads slowly, but after it's populated, it moves quickly.)