Networking

Career Conversations (Informational Interviews)

One of the highest impact methods to explore your career options while expanding your network is to invite people in your field(s) of interest to meet with you for a career conversation. 

Download our Career Conversations Guide

Career conversations (informational interviews) are conversations between you and someone you’re trying to network with. The goal is to collect relevant information to help you learn more about someone’s position, industry, and career path. These conversations help you build relationships, expand your professional network, and “try on” jobs to see if they are a good fit for you based on your interests, skills, values, and strengths.

You can request a career conversation from known and unknown contacts—friends, family, professionals in your field/company of interest, colleagues, faculty/staff, acquaintances, UM alumni, peers, etc. Most people enjoy talking
about themselves and their careers.

The first step is building a connection via email, LinkedIn, in-person, or phone.

Email Sample

Subject: [Major] Undergraduate Seeking Your Advice
Dear [Mr./Ms. Last Name],


I hope this email finds you healthy and well. My name is [First and Last Name], and I'm a [blank-year] student at the University of Montana who is interested in [describe areas of interest]. I emailing to see if you might have 15 minutes of time to speak with me over the phone or Zoom to ask you about your experience with [name their company]? I'm trying
to learn more about careers in [field of interest] and your insights would be very helpful.

I realize this may be a busy time for you, so if we are unable to connect this week, I'll try again next week to see whether that is more convenient.


Thank you for your time,
[your First and Last Name]

LinkedIn Connection Note Samples

  • I noticed we have common connections. Let’s connect to share advice, networks, and opportunities.
  •  We’re both University of Montana alum - wow do I miss Missoula! Let’s connect to share advice, networks, and
    opportunities. Go Griz!
  • I noticed we have similar career paths in [industry]. It would be great to connect to hear your experiences!

Once someone accepts your connection request, follow-up with an additional message introducing yourself and requesting a career conversation:

  • Thank you for connecting with me, [first name]! I am eager to learn more about your role at [name their company] and how you got involved in the [name their industry] industry. Would you be open to a brief conversation via phone or Zoom to talk more about your role, career pathway, and company?

Career Conversations Breakdown

  1. Research the company.
  2. Ask about them and listen. Small talk is important!
  3. Do not bring up them getting you a job in this first meeting.
  4. Use the TIARA method to formulate questions: Trends, Insights, Advice, Resources and Assignments

TIARA is a useful framework for preparing questions for your informational interview. Consider selecting questions from our Career Conversations Guide that are appropriate for your target career field and stage of decision-making.

Elevate U Online

Check out the following learning journeys on Elevate U Online for more tips and techniques you can utilize as you prepare for career conversations:

  • Building Your Professional Self - Informational Interviewing in Depth
  • Know Your Skills- Short Term Career Milestones
    • Reexamine what jobs or industries fit you well based on your interests.
    • Understand how milestones allow you to reflect on and assess your progress towards your larger goals.
    • Discover the career milestones of different people around you, and use that as a reference for setting your own milestones.
    • Explore more about career milestones in Elevate U Online

Elevator Pitches

An effective elevator pitch is designed to help you introduce yourself and break the ice in networking situations. You can also use your elevator pitch to clarify your target audience and business goals for your own use, and become more confident and self-assured when speaking with employers or businesses.

As you write your elevator pitch, follow these nine tips to make it a powerful tool you can use over and over again for networking and marketing your skills and knowledge.

Keep It Short and Sweet

It's called an elevator pitch for a reason; you have a limited time to make a good first impression. Craft an elevator pitch that takes you about 60 seconds to deliver at a good pace (roughly 150-250 words).

Edit Ruthlessly

An effective elevator pitch is like a work of art, and as the artist, you may feel that there is always room for improvement. This is a good perspective to have because the more you are able to look at your elevator pitch with a critical eye, the more you will be able to improve it with each edit.

Skip Industry Jargon

Assume your audience has no understanding of your education, experience, skills, or goals. You want to be able to use your elevator pitch in front of anyone and know that they will have an understanding of what you have to offer.

Say It Out Loud

An elevator pitch on paper is very different from one said out loud. Read your elevator pitch in your head, read it out loud, and then recite it in a mirror to make sure it flows and sounds conversational. It's usually a good idea to run it by a colleague, friend or family member, too, to get a fresh perspective.

Memorize It and Practice

You won't have the benefit of a cheat sheet when you're in a live situation, so memorizing your elevator pitch is vital. The challenge is committing it to memory while delivering it naturally. The more you practice delivering your elevator pitch, the easier it will be to sound conversational and relaxed.

Show Your Passion

The best elevator pitches are those that are memorable, unique, engaging and lead to further conversation. One of the best ways to accomplish this is by showing the passion you have in what you do. Show that your fire and the passion can be contagious.

Create Multiple Flavors

If you follow a step-by-step elevator pitch formula, it's easy to substitute new information to change your elevator pitch to fit any audience. Once you're comfortable editing, rearranging and substituting, you can create a few different versions ahead of time, or substitute in the most relevant information possible on the fly.

Identify Your Desired Action

Just as with other marketing activities, include a call to action at the end of your elevator pitch. Outline what you want to happen next, which may include giving the other person a chance to ask you questions, introducing you to a colleague, or scheduling a time to talk in more detail.

Pass the Mic

You've put a lot of time into your elevator pitch, so it will be a big relief once you've delivered it successfully. But don't forget about the person on the receiving end. The best way to transition from a successful elevator pitch to a successful conversation is giving the other person a chance to wow you with his or her own elevator pitch.

Steps for Creating Your Elevator Pitch

Step 1:

Introduce yourself and say who you are.

Step 2:

Describe what you do. Write 1-2 sentences about what you do that would be of value to potential employers.

Step 3:

Explain what's unique and different about you. Write 1-2 sentences about what sets you apart from every other potential employee.

Step 4:

State what you want to happen next. Write 1-2 sentences that identifies what you want your audience to do next.

Example:

"I'd love to schedule a time to talk more about some opportunities with your organization, and explore how we may be able to work together."

Step 5:

Create an attention-getting hook. Write 1-2 sentences that pulls in your audience and gets them engaged in what you're about to say.

Step 6:

Put it all together. Combine the statements you drafted in the previous steps, putting Step 5 first. Then, add transitions and edit it until it flows conversationally and captures the most important information.