Working Knowledge A Monthly Column about Life on the Job

By Elisa F. Topper American Libraries Columnist Elisa F. Topper is a career consultant in the Chicago area. Contact her at working@ala.org. Column for October 2003

Test Careers with Informational Interviews

I have been a technology education teacher for four years. I've also spent 10 years in an elementary classroom and four years teaching history and reading in a middle school. I love encouraging children to read, and I would like to be a school librarian/media specialist, but the educational cost is quite high and I need to be sure it would be worth it. Where can I get informed, unbiased advice to help me decide if this is the right step?

Ready for a Change

First, keep in mind that you could explore distance-education programs and state schools as ways to keep costs down. But for the more important question of whether it is the correct choice for you, I have just two words of advice: informational interview.
    The informational interview is an often-overlooked strategy that is one of the most important tools you can use before making a career change. The term was invented by What Color Is Your Parachute? author Richard Nelson Bolles, who defines it as “trying on jobs to see if they fit you.”
    An informational interview is not the same as a job interview, where the goal is to obtain a job; instead, the purpose is to get real-world information by talking to people already working in your field of interest. However, that doesn't mean an informational interview can't ultimately help you land a job: The website Quintessential Careers (www.quintcareers.com) reports that one of every 12 informational interviews results in a job offer.
    What can you gain from such interviews?

• A network of contacts.
  
• Information about internships, practicum experience, and positions in the hidden job market.
  
• Exposure to the terminology and issues of a particular field.
  
• Glimpses into different types of organizational cultures.
  
• An awareness of potential employers' needs and values.
  
• Practice using interview skills in a less-stressful setting.
  

    Start locating potential interview candidates by asking for names from alumni organizations and former faculty; local library associations; the public relations department of an organization, a school's principal, or the director of a media center; and friends, relatives, and former employers.

You ask the questions
When requesting an interview, be sure to explain that you are only asking for a half-hour of the person's time (although he or she may offer more once the session starts) and make clear that you are not looking for a job-only information.
    Just as for a job interview, be prepared and professional: Research the field you're interested in, tap into web pages of related associations, and gather some facts about the company or organization of the person you're interviewing. Draft a list of questions such as:

• How did you get started in this line of work?
  
• What is the most satisfying aspect of your job? Most frustrating?
  
• What advice would you give to someone just starting out?
  
• What are the current issues in the field and what trends do you see in the next few years?
  
• Is the turnover high in this line of work? Is there room for advancement?
  

    When it comes time for the interview, dress professionally, arrive 15 minutes early, take notes, and ask for suggestions of other people to contact. Remember to thank interviewees for their time and follow up with a thank-you letter.
    Only you can make the final decision about your future, but conducting a number of informational interviews will enable you to be confident that the decision you make is the right one.

---

For More Information

ALA's American Association of School Librarians provides a number of other helpful resources on its website (www.ala.org/aasl/), including a list of National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education-approved programs, relevant articles and scholarship information, and information about Job Shadow Day.

(c) Copyright 2003 American Library Association