Before seeking employment in a particular company or industry, it's a good idea to find out as many relevant details as possible about what the job entails. Informational interviews are useful in this sense because they can give you a good idea of what you'll have to deal with in that role.
Most industries are easy to do cursory research about, and companies typically offer the same information on their company pages. However, talking with someone who is already with the company might offer valuable insight that these resources wouldn't immediately provide.
To help, 14 members of Forbes Human Resources Council share the most pertinent questions you may want to ask during an informational interview to learn more about a company or industry.
Members share some important questions that are essential to ask someone during an informational interview.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. What Makes You Successful In This Role?
The one question to ask is, " What makes you so successful in this role/industry, and what advice do you have for me to position myself in the industry?" Remember, informational interviews are to build relationships and future supporters. Every expert warms up to their strengths, which defines success parameters required of you. The positioning part answers your current standing in the industry. - Kumar Abhishek, S&P Global
2. What Are The Organization's Values?
It's critical that your values align with a company you are looking to spend at least eight hours a day, five days a week with. This is why I would always recommend asking what the organization's values are, along with recent examples of how they are lived out. This gives you insight into what really matters in the organization and if it is actually operationalized, rather than just outlined on a piece of paper. - Lindsay Gainor, Kent Power
3. What Gets You Excited About Coming To Work?
One of the best questions I'm asked is, "What gets you excited about coming to work?" The question speaks directly to an organization's culture, which is so critical to finding a good fit, from both sides of the table. As a candidate, culture is something I would want to know upfront. - Chad Brown, Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation
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4. What Are Your Diversity And Inclusion Policies?
Many companies have yet to implement diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies. They make public statements on doing better but their processes don't reflect that. You should ask who exactly you'll be interviewed by. Companies should strive for diverse interview panels, so if yours consists of all cis white men or women, DEI is clearly not top of mind. If DEI is important to you, this question can highlight their priorities. - Faith Kibria, Milk
5. What Is Your Commitment To Employee Learning?
A question that will get to the heart of career growth and culture is, “What is your commitment to employee learning and career development, and how do you help make it happen?” More than ever, learning at work helps keep people engaged and is a way for employers to ensure their staff has the skills needed to meet today’s unique market needs. Watch for real-life examples and anecdotes. - Jeff Weber, Instructure
6. What's The Biggest Surprise After Joining?
The objective of an informational interview shall be to grasp the “underbelly” of what it’s like to work for a company. Asking questions about culture can be a powerful way of understanding how people operate, behaviors that are celebrated and frowned upon. A question to uncover potential land mines is, “What’s the biggest surprise people have after joining?” It can provide valuable insights. - Naveen Bhateja, Medidata Solutions
7. What Makes You Stay With This Company?
Always ask why the interviewer/hiring manager joined the company and what makes them stay. This provides a great insight into value alignment and, ultimately, whether you will enjoy working with the hiring manager and the company. - Danielle Monaghan, Uber
8. What Would Make Someone A Bad Fit?
One thing you should ask is, "What would make someone a bad fit?" So often, candidates treat informational interviews as a way to look good or say the right thing. Try your best to resist this temptation. A job is about a two-way fit, and informational interviews are one of the best tools to get the good, bad, and ugly. As a cherry on top, it may help your job chances: people generally appreciate the authentic approach! - Thach Nguyen, SWORD Health
9. What's The Overall Turnover Rate?
Always ask about the overall turnover rate. Every company has turnover, but you want to be sure that your new career does not have an extremely high turnover because job security is of most importance. - Melissa Bolton, Perlon Hahl Inc.
10. What Impact Can I Make In This Role?
A potential candidate should inquire about the impact they can make, the problems they can help solve and the results they can deliver to help the company win. By focusing on the impact and value, a candidate can set themselves apart from the rest. This is also a great way to learn more about the company and the position. - Vineet Gambhir, Contemporary Leadership Advisors
11. What Does A Typical Week Look Like?
A great question to ask during an informational interview is, “What does a typical week look like for you?” This question allows the interviewer to give a high-level overview of their position and the company's schedule requirements, and allows you to see what they consider to be the biggest events and most impactful parts of their work. - Laura Spawn, Virtual Vocations, Inc.
12. What Keeps You Up At Night?
You should ask, “What keeps you up at night?” or anything outside the realm of “which skills do you lean on most?” These questions coax out the “big picture” answer of what’s going on in an industry and how a company can quickly leverage your strengths in that situation. - Kelley Steven-Waiss, HERE Technologies
13. What's The Best Hire You've Made?
A good question to ask is, "What's the best hire you've made, or are aware of being made here since you joined, and why?" The response to this question could tell you a lot about how success is measured, what the culture is like, etc. - Bryan Passman, Hunter + Esquire
14. What Are Your Favorite Industry Resources?
Ask them, "What are your favorite industry blogs, magazines or influencers that you follow?" Knowing this will ensure that you stay up to date on the latest news and trends for your field or industry. Not only do you stay fresh, but it provides you with a great excuse to reach out to the host of your informational interview to geek out over recent content. Plus, you stay top of mind for future opportunities. - Jessica Adams, Brad's Deals
