Are you a collegiate member wanting to learn more about your chosen field of interest, or an alumna looking to make a career change? Tri Delta sisterhood extends beyond graduation, with a network of more than 222,000 alumnae who are eager and willing to offer guidance and support to their sisters!
Informational interviews are a great way to network with fellow Tri Delta sisters who can share valuable information about their own career paths and offer advice as you take your next steps in the professional world. As women in the workplace, we face many barriers and challenges, and Tri Delta is providing a space to prepare members for those obstacles and how to navigate their professional journey.
What Is An Informational Interview?
An informational interview is an informal conversation where an individual seeks advice on a career, industry and the culture of a potential future workplace or profession. An informational interview is not a job interview, but an opportunity for you to talk with Tri Delta alumnae working in your field of interest. Tri Delta alumnae will be able to provide advice, guidance and additional information about their career path to prepare their sisters for life after college. An informational interview gives you the opportunity to:
- Explore your career field of interest
- Expand your professional network
- Obtain information about your career field and the skills needed to do that job effectively
- Discover future opportunities in your field of interest
- Build confidence as you choose a career path
How Do I request An Informational Interview
Several Tri Delta alumnae have agreed to participate in informational interviews to help collegiate members explore their career interests and other professional opportunities, and Tri Delta makes it easy to set up an informational interview through our CONNECTDDD networking platform.
Getting CONNECTDDD is easy! Simply download the app from the App Store (download Graduway Community then search CONNECT DDD) or Google Play, or visit our mobile-friendly website, www.connectddd.org.
Log in, create your profile, set your preferences and start connecting!
- Edit your CONNECTDDD profile to select your requested industry. If you have multiple industries you are considering, you can select multiple industries.
- Edit your profile to select Seek Mentoring > Informational Interview.
- Once your profile is complete, go to Network with sisters > Find a Mentor to find suggested informational interview matches. Each match is picked by industry match and prioritizes an Informational Interview match. You are responsible for reviewing the directory and identifying women to connect with about informational interviews.
Once you have reviewed the suggested mentors, select one to two individuals to contact for informational interviews. In your initial outreach, make sure to do the following:
- Provide a brief introduction of yourself.
- Ask for a convenient time to schedule a 30-minute informational interview.
- Finalize a date and time (including time zone) for the informational interview. Confirm the phone number of the interviewee.
What Questions Do I Ask?
In addition to developing a brief introduction of yourself, you’ll want to plan a range of open-ended questions that will allow you to mix up the conversation based on your interviewee’s responses. Start by introducing yourself and sharing a little information about your background, then focus your early questions on the interviewee. Ask questions about their experience in the field, how they got started, what other careers they considered, etc. Sample questions include:
- How did you get your start in this field?
- What does a typical day at work look like?
- What are the most challenging aspects of your job?
- What is your first thought when you get up for work every morning?
- Who has been most influential in your career?
- What is it like working at your company?
- What projects are you working on right now?
- What experiences, skills or personality traits does your company look for in new hires?
- What do you wish you had done differently when you first started at your company?
- What do you find most satisfying about the job? The least satisfying?
- Is there anyone else you think I should speak to?
What Do I Do After the Interview?
Follow up! Keep good notes, and right after the interview, write down what you learned, what more you’d like to know and your impressions of how this industry, field or position would fit with your lifestyle, interests, skills and future plans. Send a thank-you note to show your appreciation, and keep in touch with the person. This relationship could become an important part of your network.
I’m An Alumna Who Would Like To Provide An Informational Interview – How Can I Help?
We’re glad you asked! If you’re not already signed up on CONNECTDDD, you’ll need to join. When you’ve logged in, edit your profile to select Offer Mentoring > Informational Interview.
The collegiate members will receive access to CONNECTDDD. Each individual collegiate member will utilize the Network with Sisters > Find a Mentor to find suggested informational interview matches with their career field of interest.
Once the collegiate member has identified an alumna for their informational interview, they will reach out through a message or mentoring request through CONNECTDDD.
You should be prepared to share the following information during the informational interview:
- Job requirements and experience
- Job environment
- Benefits and challenges
- Growth opportunities
- Advice
Through this process, you can pave the way for the next generation by helping a sister as she plans for her next steps after college.