The most under-utlized job search strategy

Informational interviewing is one of the best job search strategies and yet, very few people use it.

Here is how it works. You decide who would be helpful to interview.  Someone who:
-is in a field you want to work in
-is in a job you might like to have
-works for an organization you are interested in working for
-has some kind of experience that you are interest in

You call or email and ask to meet for coffee( or tea, or lunch)

Introduce yourself:  Hello ______, my name is Julie Swanson

Describe your connection or how you got their name:  I got your name from ____ ( a mutual friend), we met at a conference, I saw you present, I did an alumni search at ______college where we both went, etc.

Ask for a meeting: I'm going to be making a career transition soon, due to budget cuts, and I have always been interested in working in __________. I was wondering if you might have time to meet for coffee so I could ask you some questions about your job: how you got it, what it's like, any advice you would have for someone interested in that kind of work.

Three reasons informational interviewing is effective.
1. People like to give advice.Most people are honored to be asked to informational interview and genuinely enjoy talking about their work and helping someone out.

2. Most people want to hire someone they know or someone who is recommended by someone they know.  So the more people you network with, the more likely you get referred to a job. Informational interviewing is a way to grow your network directly related to the kind of work you want.

3. You can get great tips about: how to present the skills you have, experience you need to get and how to get it, who else you should talk...etc.