Informational Interviews: Best Questions to Ask

Questions you ask in an informational interview (or coffee chat) can make or break the experience for both of you, so in this video I share some of my best questions to ask during informational interviews.

Informational interview questions should achieve 2 goals: (1) Tease out useful and meaningful insights from the professional you’re chatting with, and (2) Make an impression on them so they’d be more willing to vouch for you in the future.

I share 3 “types” of questions to ask in an informational interview and provide 2-3 examples from each type. Taken together, these 3 categories of questions will show the interviewee you have given a lot of thought on all aspects of the job and company.

So whether you call it an informational interview, exploratory interview, or simply a coffee chat, these questions will help you make a strong and positive impression that may ultimately lead to more opportunities.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
00:57 The 3 Types of Questions you need to Ask
01:20 Sample Tasks and Responsibility Questions
02:28 Sample Career Path Questions
03:29 Sample Industry Knowledge Questions
04:56 Non-Negotiable Question
05:43 Summary

RESOURCES I MENTION IN THE VIDEO

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👨🏻‍💻 WHO AM I:
I'm Jeff, a full time Product Marketer. In my spare time I like to tinker with tools and create systems that help me get things done faster - or as one of my friends puts it: "Get better at being lazy" 😏

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Disclaimer: My opinions are my own and may not reflect that of my employer

#informationalinterviews #coffeechats #networking #jobsearch

[jamesly]

Jeff, I am being completely serious and honest when I say this. I watched this video and the next day I used these questions in an informational interview. Crazy timing. Thank you so much man.

Summary

Tasks and Responsibilities:
What aspect of your job do you find most rewarding?
How is your performance measured?

Career Path:
How did you begin your career?
If you think about a new hire you enjoyed working with, what are some of their characteristics that come to mind?
What did you find the most surprising about the role?

Industry Knowledge:
What publications would you recommend I subscribe to if I want to stay up-to-date on this industry’s trends?
What are some current events or trends in the industry that I should be aware of?

Extra at the end!
Based on what we discussed today, is there anyone else you think I should talk to?

[yousifallous]

I always come back to this guy whenever I need help, his videos are so helpful. Because of him, I landed an internship at a huge global company. He deserves more views.

[AK-jtgx]

I really appreciate the amount of advice you packed into 6 minutes without seeming rushed. The pace was perfect. Thank you!

[pc_huh]

You are literally my favorite person!!! Thank you, for all the effort you put into this!!

[daphne]

I am having my first informational interview soon, and I just wanna say thank you so much for making this video! I'm not the most confident when it comes to these types of interactions, but after watching this vid I feel significantly more prepared and confident about using up the interview time in a more productive way! So thank you!!

[lantang]

The night before my informational chat, I went straight to Jeff's youtube channel and watched this video once again. During my meeting, I can tell that the person loves my questions! He opened up super quickly and the conversation went very smooth 😆 Jeff you are AMAZING 🙌

[Eesen]

This is amazing advice, Jeff! And well done on the editing as well; I am super impressed!

[JeffSu]

Which of these questions will you ask in your next Coffee Chat?

TIMESTAMPS
00:57 The 3 Types of Questions you need to Ask
01:20 Sample Tasks and Responsibility Questions
02:28 Sample Career Path Questions
03:29 Sample Industry Knowledge Questions
04:56 Non-Negotiable Question
05:43 Summary

[violita]

I will use the end question for sure! awesome stuff thanks Jeff!

[giftnwagu]

Thank you, Jeff! I will definitely use some of these questions in the informational interview I set up!

[Andrea_Dong]

Great content, Jeff! Thank you so much for sharing, I’ll be following your work :)

[uantaris]

Thanks Jeff. I will have a coffee chat in three days. Your precise and concise suggestion helps a lot. I am now memorizing those questions.

[yesblad]

Broski, Thank you so much. You a real one for real

[emilycho]

Really enjoyed the examples Jeff! They were really good!

[anthonygrimms]

Have been using these questions to derive my own and have had phenomenal networking conversations/opportunities as I begin my job search. Graduating in august and cant thank you enough for the help!

[shashankbanakar]

I have been preparing for an informational interview and I wrote down a set of questions to ask as well. I watched your video 30mins prior to the interview and it made the whole experience more fun. Great job, Jeff!

[franziskagumrich]

Thank you Jeff! Honestly, I think I should have watched this video earlier :D I had several informal interviews and I think your tipps could have helped a lot. I will use some of the questions especially the last mandatory one within my next informal coffee chats. Thanks a lot, I highly value your tipps!

[lantang]

Thank you Jeff!!! This is really helpful, especially the structure and last question you suggested 💯I’ll try it next time!

[BrendannKellyy]

Thank you, Jeff, so much for recommending this video to me. Will try hard to make sure this information gets put to great use! Will forever have a sub in me 😊