Updated October 25, 2026
The informational interview: how to ask and what to ask
A short request, a fixed twenty minutes and eight prepared questions turn a cold ask into a real conversation. This guide gives you the wording, the questions, and the line that gets you a new contact at the end.
An informational interview is a conversation you ask for, not an interview you're invited to. It's a short, low-stakes call or coffee with someone working in a role, company or industry you want to understand better, not someone hiring for a job you've applied to. The request works when it's specific and short: say who you are, why you picked this person, and ask for twenty minutes, named as twenty minutes, in the next two to three weeks. Keep the whole message under sixty words so it reads as a favour someone can grant in ten seconds, not a project they have to plan.
Once the call is set, the twenty minutes need a shape: roughly eight questions that move from their day-to-day to their path to the industry, and end with one closing question that gets you a new contact. You lead the conversation because you asked for it, so prepare questions you can't answer by reading their LinkedIn profile or the company website. The sections below give you the wording for the request, the eight questions, and the one line to say at the end that turns a single conversation into a small network.
Write a request short enough to say yes to in ten seconds
The message that gets a yes is almost always under sixty words, because anything longer asks the reader to find time to read it before they've even agreed to the call. Open with one sentence on why you're writing to this person specifically, not people in their field in general: a shared course, a mutual contact, a post they wrote, a path from a role like yours to a role like theirs. Then name the ask in plain terms: twenty minutes, by phone or video, in the next two or three weeks. Close with two proposed slots so they can reply with a single word.
Send this on LinkedIn if you're not already connected, or by email if you have an address through a mutual contact or alumni list. Don't attach your CV and don't mention a job opening at their company, even if one exists: that turns a conversation into an ask for a referral before you've earned the right to one. If they don't reply within a week, one short follow-up is fine; after that, let it go and move to the next name on your list.
- Name the exact ask: twenty minutes, not 'quick chat' or 'pick your brain'.
- Mention one specific, personal reason you chose them.
- Offer two concrete time slots instead of asking them to suggest one.
Structure the twenty minutes around eight questions
Split the call roughly into four pairs of questions so it never drifts into small talk for the full twenty minutes: two on their day-to-day, two on how they got there, two on the industry or company from the inside, and two that ask for their honest read on your situation. Day-to-day questions sound like 'what does a normal Tuesday look like for you' and 'what part of the role takes more time than people expect'. Path questions sound like 'what did you do two roles before this one' and 'what would you have done differently at my stage'.
Industry questions sound like 'what's changing in this field that someone outside it wouldn't see' and 'which part of the company's work gets less attention than it should'. The last pair is the most useful: 'given what you know about my background, what would you focus on' and 'is there a skill or gap you'd flag if you were me'. Write the eight down before the call and bring them on paper or a phone, because reading a question off a list is normal in this format and looks prepared, not rehearsed.
- Ask about a normal week, not the job description.
- Ask what they'd have done differently at your career stage.
- Ask for one honest piece of feedback on your current direction.
Close by asking for one more name, and follow up within two days
The single most useful line in the whole call comes at the end: 'is there one other person you think I should talk to'. Asked directly, after twenty minutes of a useful conversation, most people will give you a name, and a warm introduction from someone they already spoke with is worth more than any cold message you could send. Ask it before you ask anything else about wrapping up, while the conversation is still warm, and write the name and spelling down on the call rather than trusting memory afterwards.
Send a thank-you note within a day or two, three or four sentences: what you took from the call, one specific point you'll act on, and a line saying you'll let them know how things go. If they gave you a name, mention when you plan to reach out so they know their introduction mattered. Log the contact, the date and the follow-up date somewhere you'll actually check: the job application tracker works for this even though it's built for applications, because the habit of following up on time is the same.
- Ask for one more name before the call winds down.
- Send a short thank-you within 48 hours.
- Note the date so you can update them in a month or two.
An informational interview works when the ask is small, the time is fixed, and the questions earn the person's time rather than waste it. Write the request in under sixty words, run the call on eight prepared questions, and end by asking for one more name. Do that consistently and a handful of twenty-minute conversations turn into the kind of network that actually produces leads.
Put it into practice