Ask for stories, not answers

Today, let’s talk about the informational interview.

This is the type of interview that you do casually with someone who works at a company or field you’re interested in. There’s no job or position on the table yet, but you want to create a connection and learn more.

You could also think of these as a “reverse job interview.” You’ll be asking most of the questions.

Here are some questions that most people ask:

• How long have you been in this job?
• What’s your favorite part?
• What’s your boss like?
• How could I break in to this industry/company?

Many people in informational interviews will fire off questions such as these, take some notes when they hear the responses, and then they will shake hands with their interviewee and walk away… and they will be right back where they started, at square one.

Here’s what I recommend: Don’t ask these kinds of questions. If you must ask them, make sure they only takes up a small fraction of the conversation.

These questions elicit simple answers, many of which aren’t even relevant to you. Who cares what their boss is like or how long they’ve been working in the industry? Who cares what their favorite part of the job is? It might not be yours.

Instead of seeking answers, seek stories.

Instead of asking “how long have you been in this job?” ask “How has the job changed since you started?”

Instead of asking “What’s your favorite part of the job?” ask “What’s the most memorable story from your job in the past 2 years?”

These questions elicit stories. Stories contain values.

If an accountant’s most memorable story in the last two years was going on a staff retreat to the mountains, you can learn a lot about what they (and their company) values.

Perhaps asking an instructional designer how their job has changed in the last 2 years elicits a story about the resistance to moving online courses to a smart phone format. That’s valuable information; it tells you where the industry is headed. Much more effective than simply asking them what their favorite part of the job is.

When you really listen to stories, you can pick up on values (either from the individual, the company, or the industry). You can hold those values against your own to see if they fit.

Rob Walker makes this point in his excellent newsletter:

So for example, “What does your name mean?” instead of “What’s your name?,” or “How’d you end up in your line of work?” instead of “What line of work are you in?” (More examples here.) Or in this case: “Tell me about your _____ [scarf/keychain/Bulls picture etc.]”

This is smart advice anytime, but I’m particularly taken with the Zoom/video call scenario. As Rob says:

“I’ve found that simply saying, ‘Tell me about that [painting/plant/photo/guitar, etc.’] leads to interesting stories, and adds some personal dimension to our flat digital transactions. (And a case for real vs. digital zoom backgrounds.)”

The first step, of course, is figuring out what you value. Make sure to schedule a free call with me if you want to do a deep dive into your core values.