Conduct an Informational Interview

Motivation:
According to research about networking, you are only six acquaintances away from a personal connection to anyone in
the world. Six calls away from the most incredible informational interview you can imagine! Go for it!
Patrick Combs, Major in Success
An informational interview is a unique opportunity to ask questions and experience a bit about a particular individual,
company and profession. It is generally a short, focused interview with carefully crafted questions composed beforehand. It is
a chance for the interviewers to get specific questions answered and for the interviewees to share their expertise. While
interviewees generally are flattered and delighted to participate, interviewers need to be considerate, well prepared and by
and large make good use of the interviewees time.

Activity:
You are going to use Kuder, google, LBS or any site to act as someone you are interviewing. Answer the questions
below with the information you find on these site. Watch the videos to get a better understanding of that job.

Informational Interview Form
1. Name of Occupation: Lawyer

2. Work description:
a. What are you primary work tasks?
i. Advise clients concerning
business transactions, claim
liability, advisability of
prosecuting or defending
lawsuits, or legal rights and
obligations.
Interpret laws, rulings and
regulations for individuals and
businesses.
b. What is a typical day like?
i. Business calls, Organizing and
filing files, investigating your
case.

3. Training:
a. What education is required?
i. A four year undergraduate study,
3 years of law school and passing
a written bar examination.
b. What majors are appropriate?
i. History, political science,
business and English. Really
anything youre good at just get
great grades and try graduating
with Honors.

4. Skills and Personality Traits
a. What personality characteristics are
useful for people in this profession?
i. Tier Level thinking
ii. Hyper Skeptical/Critical
iii. Independent
iv. Tough Skin
v. Disciplined
vi. Hard Working
b. What abilities are required to work in this
occupation?
i. People Skills
ii. Observational skills
iii. Memorization Skills
iv. Analytical skills
v. Oratory Skills
c. What skills are required to work in this
occupation?
i. Communication
ii. Listening
iii. Writing
iv. Negotiating
v. Time Management

5. Work setting:
a. Where do people do this type of work?
i. Corporate Offices
ii. Private Offices
iii. Courtrooms
iv. Anywhere there is a desk and a
phone.
b. How would you describe the work
setting?
i. Stressful, Quiet & somewhat
comfortable.






6. Salary:
a. What is the salary range in this
occupation? 10
th
median-90
th

i. $138,560


7. Advancement:
a. List the possible paths of advancement
with this occupation.
i. Then Partner in a "Firm" of
lawyers.
Then a Senior Partner (Bigger
share of profits).
Opportunities for Judge,
District Attorney even the
Attorney General.
Politics like Councilman, Mayor
or US District Rep.
Conduct an Informational Interview
Senators and Cabinet
Appointments.
Then the lifetime job, where
you cannot be fired as a
Supreme Court Justice ...they
all started right out of law
school...

8. Employment Outlook:
a. What is the future forecast for
employment in this field? (google.com,
LBS)
i.
LOCATION
EMPLOYMENT
%
CHANGE
JOB
OPENINGS
2010 2020
United
States
728,200 801,800 +10% 73,600


9. Geographic mobility:
a. Is this occupation limited to certain areas
of country or particular kinds of places?
i. No I can do this occupation
globally.

10. Professional Organizations:
i. American Bar Association, 321
North Clark St., Chicago, IL 60654
ii. National Association for Law
Placement, 1025 Connecticut
Ave. NW., Suite 1110,
Washington, DC 20036
Licensing you need a license from the bar of
association Certification It's not a
certificate. It's being admitted to practice law
before a state bar.


a. What professional organizations are
related to this occupation?
i. American Bar Association
ii. National Association for Law
Placement
b. What are some of the pros and cons of
this work?
1. Pros
ii. Professions in law are
established and respected
iii. Constant Variety
iv. Good Salary
2. Cons
v. The work can be pressured and
often demand long hours











Informational Interview Form
11. Name of Occupation: Sales Manager

12. Work description:
a. What are you primary work tasks?
i. Sell products by implementing
sales plans; supervising sales
staff.
b. What is a typical day like?
i. Maintains all sales
ii. Managing Staff
iii. Making sure customers are
happy
iv. Organizing things


13. Training:
a. What education is required?
Conduct an Informational Interview
i. A college diploma or university
degree in business
administration or a related
field with sales or marketing
specialization.
ii. Several years experience.

b. What majors are appropriate?
i. You are required to have a
Bachelors degree.
ii. A major in sales management
is recommend


14. Skills and Personality Traits
a. What personality characteristics are
useful for people in this profession?
i. Modesty
ii. Conscientiousness
iii. Achievement Orientation
iv. Curiosity
v. Lack of Gregariousness
vi. Lack of Discouragement

b. What abilities are required to work in this
occupation?
i. Being aware of others' reactions
and understanding why they
react as they do.
ii. Actively looking for ways to help
people.
iii. Persuading others to change
their minds or behavior.
c. What skills are required to work in this
occupation?
i. Communicating effectively in
writing as appropriate for the
needs of the audience.
ii. Considering the relative costs
and benefits of potential actions
to choose the most appropriate
one.
iii. Using logic and reasoning to
identify the strengths and
weaknesses of alternative
solutions, conclusions or
approaches to problems
15. Work setting:
a. Where do people do this type of work?
i. Anywhere they can communicate
with their employees. Most likely
in the store if they need to be
hands-on.
b. How would you describe the work
setting?
i. Many sales managers travel to
national, regional, and local
offices and to dealers and
distributors offices.





16. Salary:
a. What is the salary range in this
occupation? 10
th
median-90
th

i.
LOCATI
ON
PAY
PERIO
D
2012
10% 25%
MEDIA
N
75% 90%
Californi
a
Hourl
y
$25.6
7
$35.7
1
$55.03 $80.81 $0.0
0
Yearly $53,4
00
$74,2
90
$114,4
50
$168,0
90
$0
United
States
Hourl
y
$25.4
6
$34.7
2
$50.60 $72.41 $0.0
0
Yearly $52,9
50
$72,2
10
$105,2
60
$150,6
10
$0


17. Advancement:
a. List the possible paths of advancement
with this occupation.

18. Employment Outlook:
a. What is the future forecast for
employment in this field? (google.com,
LBS)
i. National = +12 % increase in
employment


19. Geographic mobility:
a. Is this occupation limited to certain areas
of country or particular kinds of places?
i. No this job is not limited in
certain areas. You can do this job
globally.


Conduct an Informational Interview
20. Professional Organizations: Licensing sales tax
license Certification Certified Sales
Leadership Professional (CSLP) and the
Certified Sales Operations Professional (CSOP

c. What professional organizations are
related to this occupation?
i. American Association of
Advertising Agencies
ii. Public Relations Society of
America
d. What are some of the pros and cons of
this work?
i. Pros
1. You have more freedom
in your schedule and
aren't tied to a desk for
40+ hours a week.
2. You get to meet new
people all the time.
3. You get to travel (trade
shows and such) to
build more clientele.
4. You paycheck has no
limit- you are paid
based on how well you
and your team do.
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Conduct an Informational Interview

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Conduct an Informational Interview
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Conduct an Informational Interview
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e. What do you like about this job?
i. I like the fact that you can
travel and continually meet
new people.
ii. I like managing sales
iii. I like managing people.
f. What do you dislike?
i. Nothing I can really think of at
the moment.