Like millions of other soon-to-be graduates, Tom and I (Punith) are actively figuring out what the next step in our career path will be. If you’re in a similar boat as us, I highly encourage you to conduct at least 1 informational interview per week.
It has worked wonders so far!
An informational interview is a meeting where you seek advice regarding your career, an industry, and/or a company’s culture, typically from an employed professional.
But let me be clear: the purpose of an informational interview is NOT to get a job.
Your sole purpose is simply to learn and reflect.
Tom and I have individually set up several informational interviews over the past month, and it has truly helped us navigate the endless career options that are out there for Materials Science and Engineering students, from grad school to product development to entrepreneurship, and everything in between.
Please utilize your network to its fullest potential! For instance, go to the LinkedIn pages of target companies, click on "People" and reach out to employees who have roles you're interested in.
The worst they can say is "no," but more likely than not, they'll be happy to help!
What are your thoughts on informational interviews?