What is an informational interview?

A short, low-stakes conversation with somebody in a role or industry you are exploring, held to gather information rather than to apply for work. You are the one asking questions, and the aim is a clearer picture of the day-to-day, the routes in and the trade-offs.

How do I ask for an informational interview?

Send a short message to a named person: who you are, the specific thing you are trying to find out, a request for twenty minutes at their convenience, and an explicit note that you are not asking for a job. Specific and small requests get answered; open-ended ones do not.

What questions should I ask in an informational interview?

Ask what a normal Tuesday contains, which parts are repetitive, what surprised them in their first year, what they would warn somebody about, how people actually get into this work now, what it pays at entry level, and who else they think you should talk to. Avoid questions whose answers are already on a website.

How long should an informational interview be?

Twenty to thirty minutes, and end on time even if it is going well. Respecting the boundary is a large part of why people agree to a second conversation later.

Should I ask for a job at the end?

No. It breaks the premise you were given the time under. Ask instead who else would be worth talking to, and send a short thank-you that says what you did as a result — that is what makes them remember you when something opens up.

How many should I do?

Two per direction is usually enough to see the shape of the work; one person's account is an anecdote, two overlapping accounts are a pattern. If both conversations pull you in, move on to trying a piece of the work rather than booking a third.

Try before committing · 7 min read

How do I run an informational interview?

Twenty minutes with somebody who does the work, asked properly, will tell you more than a month of research. The questions matter more than the contact.

Written by Nivaan, founder of OffLadder · Last reviewed 8 September 2026 · Sources listed at the foot of this page

The short answer

An informational interview is a short conversation — usually twenty to thirty minutes — with somebody doing work you are considering, where you ask about the reality of the job rather than for a job. Done well it produces things you cannot read anywhere: how the week is really spent, what the money looks like at your level, who hires and what they screen for, and which parts of the role people quietly dislike. Ask one specific person for one specific slot, bring five prepared questions, take notes, and follow up with a thank-you that mentions what you did as a result.

Most people never do this, because the request feels like an imposition. It usually is not: talking about your own work for twenty minutes to somebody genuinely curious is one of the easier favours to grant, and it is the fastest route to information that exists nowhere in writing.

The message

One line on who you are and the specific thing you are trying to find out.
One line on why them: something concrete about their work or route, not flattery.
The ask: twenty minutes, at their convenience, by phone or video.
One line making it safe to decline, and stating that you are not asking for a job.

Five questions worth the slot

01"What does a normal Tuesday look like, including the repetitive parts?"
02"What surprised you most in your first year doing this?"
03"If somebody was starting today, what route would actually work?"
04"What part of this job do people underestimate, or quietly dislike?"
05"Who else should I be talking to about this?"

Skip anything a search would answer. The value of a live person is the unwritten material: the pace, the politics, the money, the parts nobody puts in a brochure.

Afterwards

Write three things down the same day: what the work actually contains, what would drain you, and what you will do next because of the conversation. Then send four lines of thanks that name the next step. A month later, if you did the thing, tell them — that single follow-up is what turns a stranger into somebody who thinks of you when work appears.

When to stop asking and start trying

Conversations have a ceiling. After two per direction you are mostly hearing the same account again, and the missing information is about you rather than the job. That is the point to do a small real piece of the work — a shadowing day, a short project, a micro-internship — and let your own attention be the evidence.

Ask about the Tuesday, not about the career. Tuesdays are checkable.

Questions people ask

What is an informational interview?: A short, low-stakes conversation with somebody in a role or industry you are exploring, held to gather information rather than to apply for work. You are the one asking questions, and the aim is a clearer picture of the day-to-day, the routes in and the trade-offs.
How do I ask for an informational interview?: Send a short message to a named person: who you are, the specific thing you are trying to find out, a request for twenty minutes at their convenience, and an explicit note that you are not asking for a job. Specific and small requests get answered; open-ended ones do not.
What questions should I ask in an informational interview?: Ask what a normal Tuesday contains, which parts are repetitive, what surprised them in their first year, what they would warn somebody about, how people actually get into this work now, what it pays at entry level, and who else they think you should talk to. Avoid questions whose answers are already on a website.
How long should an informational interview be?: Twenty to thirty minutes, and end on time even if it is going well. Respecting the boundary is a large part of why people agree to a second conversation later.
Should I ask for a job at the end?: No. It breaks the premise you were given the time under. Ask instead who else would be worth talking to, and send a short thank-you that says what you did as a result — that is what makes them remember you when something opens up.
How many should I do?: Two per direction is usually enough to see the shape of the work; one person's account is an anecdote, two overlapping accounts are a pattern. If both conversations pull you in, move on to trying a piece of the work rather than booking a third.

Directions you could test

Sources

Occupational Outlook Handbook · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

How this page is written

We only state what can be checked. Where a page makes a claim about work, automation or the labour market, it links to a primary source rather than paraphrasing a secondary summary. We do not publish predictions dressed as facts, invented statistics, or lists of AI-proof jobs. Pages are reviewed and dated when the argument or the underlying evidence changes. More about OffLadder.