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Interview Question Database

Information Interviews and Networking Events

What is an "Information Interview"?

An informational interview differs from a traditional interview as it considered to be more of an informal conversation that can provide you with insightful information about a company and its general job prospects. Companies use informational interviews to speak to the potential employees within their candidate pool.

Informational Interviews

ABOUT INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS

An informational interview helps you to learn about a professional's experiences and qualifications that led them to obtaining an position with a company you are interested. It is an informal meeting to get advice, tips, and connections to positions you are preparing to apply for. You will not be showcasing your background or skills unless asked because this is not a part of the hiring process.

What is a typical day/week/season like for you?
Is this typical for this type of position?

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Asking Q's about the day-to-day experience can provide you with insight into the position.

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What do you enjoy the most/least of your profession?

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What are current issues and trends in the field that would be valuable for me to know?

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What does a typical day at work looks for you?

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This question is specific if you are applying for a work position. This could potentially tell you about the work environment as well as that person's work schedule. However, you could always tailor this question according to the information you trying to gather. For instance, for someone who is trying to gain perspective into a volunteer position that might be interested in, this is a good place to start to.

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What are some of your major responsibilities as a...?

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Try to be specific in your approach. If you are applying for the position that the person has experience in, this is a good question to evaluate some of the duties and deconstruct the requires skills accordingly that you would responsible for.

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What are some of the challenges faced at work/study?

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Such a question would help reflect on the potential challenges prior to starting out. You could possibly think of some strategies to deal with these challenges effectively.

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How did you begin your career in this field?

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Having an idea of someone's trajectory would be fruitful in planning your career path.

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What are some of the most effective strategies to keep learning while working?

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Work dynamics are subjected to constant change, and therefore, it is crucial to keep up the learning process constant as well. Once again, you could mold this question into your area of interest. You could question your friend about their learning strategies about a course you might be taking in the future.

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Would you recommend some other people for additional support and guidance to learn about this field?

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It is good to have an idea about some more people in your field who might be directly involved with you during work.

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If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same path for your career? If no, what would you like to change?

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Such a type of question is great when you trying to seek a Co-op job. Remember, it is important to set out some learning objectives before starting your Co-op. This question would help you assess some of the skills you might want to enhance during the course of your Co-op.

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Networking Events

ABOUT NETWORKING EVENTS

Attending networking events helps you to grow your professional network and create new connections. It is wise to create questions that ask new connections about their education, career path, job responsibilities, working environment, and industry trends.

What hiring process does your organization use?

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Do you hire many SFU students?

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This is an excellent icebreaker question. This would be helpful in knowing about the applying and the subsequent hiring process.

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What are some of the memorable experiences you had at work?

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  There is no right or wrong answer to this. This is a grey zone and answer would vary for every individual. However, the key is to analyze some of the potential work expectations.

What recommendations would you give to someone regarding job search strategies?

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The people hosting such events are generally experienced in their respective fields, therefore, probe into some of the specific successful approaches and tactics to land your dream job or excel at your current job.

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What kind of books/literacy resources do you recommend for reading?

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This question is specific in ways that not everyone is not reading to learn more. However, if you are the kind of person who learns by reading books or/and other literary resources, you can ask this question to keep your learning mind growing.

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Any other opportunities within the field/volunteer groups or organizations I could join to enhance my skills.

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Based on their personal experience, the representative or/and alumni can provide you the details of some of the volunteering or shadowing opportunities available at their workplace.

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May I hand in my resume to you?

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To get your foot in the door, this is a great way to make a valuable first impression of yourself. The representative would potentially remember you for your rigor and perseverance. Do not forget to follow up on email!

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How can I reach out to you in the future?

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For future contact to potentially arrange for an interview or even an informational interview, it’s an effective strategy to take contact information as well as information of where you could find the company online.

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